Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has once again returned to the idea of halting hostilities as a preliminary step toward a future peace agreement — a position that contrasts with his earlier statements. The shift was noted by the Ukrainian outlet Strana.ua, which analyzed his recent address to the media.

During the meeting, Zelensky argued that before any potential trilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and U. S. President Donald Trump, it would be necessary to declare a «pause» in military action. He stressed that without at least some form of ceasefire or prior arrangements, such a meeting would hardly be feasible.

According to him, a temporary truce should serve as the foundation for drafting the terms of a comprehensive peace treaty.

At the same time, the Telegram channel Resident cited a source in the Ukrainian president’s office claiming that Zelensky’s remarks were part of a deliberate tactic. The source suggested that such statements were intended to prompt Putin to refuse negotiations. The channel reported that the approach had been devised by the team of Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office, as a way to push Trump back toward a sanctions-based strategy and to prolong the conflict.