Zelensky: Ceasefire if we come under the umbrella of NATO. We can negotiate about the occupied territories later

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admits for the first time that a ceasefire agreement with Moscow can be reached if the territory of the country controlled by Kiev is placed "under the umbrella of NATO" so that it can later negotiate its return the rest through negotiations.

In an interview with the British Sky News network, the Ukrainian president was asked about media reports that Trump plans to offer Kiev NATO membership in exchange for giving up territories occupied by Russia.

"If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we must bring under the umbrella of NATO the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control. We must do it quickly. And then Ukraine can return the occupied territory diplomatically," said Zelensky.

This is the first time that Zelensky agrees to negotiate a stop to the war, putting the issue of the occupied territories on the table, which in the past was a red line forbidden by the country's constitution.

Zelensky said a ceasefire was needed to "guarantee that Putin would not continue" the war to take more Ukrainian territory.

The Ukrainian president expressed his willingness to work with Trump to achieve peace. In September 2022, Russia unilaterally announced the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia following referendums that were not recognized internationally.