Ukraine ready for talks but won’t cede land: Zelenskiy
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine is ready for peace talks, but will not first withdraw its troops from additional territory, as the Kremlin demands.
He told reporters on Tuesday that he would welcome talks to be held anywhere other than the territory of Russia or Russia’s ally Belarus.
The summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, planned to be held in Budapest this month, was suspended after the Kremlin adhered to demands, including that Ukraine cede more territory as a condition for a ceasefire.
Trump supported Ukraine’s call for an immediate ceasefire on existing lines.
Soldiers of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade, together with adjacent units, hold the defense and destroy tanks, armored vehicles and APCs launched by the invaders with the aim of attacking the South-West Kostyantynivka axis. pic.twitter.com/xQRH0sA1zW— Ukrainian Defense (@DefenceU) October 28, 2025
Ukrainian and European officials will meet on Friday or Saturday to discuss details of the ceasefire plan, Zelenskiy told reporters after meeting with visiting Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel on Tuesday.
Zelenskiy said, “This is not a plan to end the war. First of all, a ceasefire is needed.” he said.
“This is a plan to start diplomacy… Our advisors will meet in the coming days, we agreed on Friday or Saturday. They will discuss the details of this plan.”
Zelenskiy told reporters on Monday that he was happy to participate in peace talks, including with Hungary, despite his reservations about some of the positions of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who “blocked everything on behalf of Ukraine.”
“If there is a result, God forbid, the talks should be held everywhere,” he said.
“It almost doesn’t matter, not only in Russia of course and certainly not in Belarus.”
Zelenskiy also called on US lawmakers to impose tougher restrictions on Russia after Trump imposed sanctions on Russia’s two largest oil companies.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine will need stable financing from its European allies for another two or three years.
He also said in his speech on Tuesday that he hoped for China’s help to end the war.
“We would very much like China to pressure Russia to end this war and not help its continuation in any way,” he said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia is ready to provide non-aggression guarantees to NATO and European Union countries, reiterating that his country does not intend to attack any of its current members.
“We have repeatedly said that we do not intend to attack any existing NATO or EU member and that we have no such intention,” Lavrov said in his speech at the Eurasian security forum held in Minsk, Belarus. he said.
“We are ready to enshrine this position in future security guarantees for this part of Eurasia,” he said, according to the minutes provided by his ministry.
Lavrov said that meaningful dialogue with the leaders of EU countries was impossible because they rejected what he called “real collective security guarantees”; This means guarantees not only against but also with Russia in the event of an end to the war in Ukraine.
The war in Ukraine ordered by Putin has shaken Europe’s security architecture, and efforts to end the conflict have raised questions about how Ukraine can be protected from possible future Russian attacks.
with DPA
