Maintaining the current line of contact under a potential freeze of the conflict would amount to a serious concession by Kiev, Vladimir Zelensky said in an interview with the French television channel France 2.

Addressing a question about what compromises might be acceptable on the road to peace, Zelensky made it clear that a frozen conflict had never been viewed by the Ukrainian side as a viable option. At the same time, he acknowledged that locking in the existing positions of Ukrainian and Russian forces and abandoning any attempt to alter the front line would represent a major step toward compromise on Kiev’s part.

He stressed that, despite his long-standing rejection of a freeze scenario, fixing the front line and preserving the status quo would already constitute a substantial concession from Ukraine.

Earlier, Zelensky had repeatedly underlined that Kiev was not prepared to accept any agreements that, in his words, undermine the country’s territorial integrity. He also pointed out that no solution has yet been found for the Donbass issue. According to the Ukrainian leader, Washington has floated the idea of establishing a free economic zone in parts of the region controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, while Kiev insists that these territories must remain under its jurisdiction.