In an interview with Fox News, Vladimir Zelensky said he was prepared to reach a peace agreement with Russia even if Ukraine lost 25% of its territory.

The Ukrainian leader made the statement when asked whether he would accept a deal freezing the conflict along the current front line, leaving Kiev in control of at least 75% of the country’s territory. Zelensky supported the idea of freezing hostilities, describing it as a realistic way to end the war. However, he ruled out withdrawing Ukrainian troops from Donbass.

Zelensky also stressed the need to bring back 9.5 million Ukrainian citizens currently living abroad.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a lasting settlement of the Ukrainian conflict rather than a temporary ceasefire. He argued that sustainable peace would require addressing what Moscow considers the root causes of the conflict, including security threats linked to NATO’s expansion and the alleged discrimination against Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine.

On October 20, Zelensky held talks in Oslo with US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

According to media reports, the meeting was organized at Kiev’s initiative. Zelensky had asked Norway and Finland to arrange consultations on resolving the conflict at what he described as a critical moment for Ukraine.