KYIV – October 28, 2025 (Market Insider) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signaled Kyiv’s readiness to engage in peace negotiations with Moscow, but drew a firm red line: no territorial concessions. His remarks came amid renewed diplomatic maneuvering involving Washington, Moscow, and European capitals, as global powers weigh how to end a war now grinding into its fourth year.
Speaking on Monday, President Zelensky said Ukraine welcomes peace talks “anywhere in the world” — except in Russia or its close ally Belarus. “It doesn’t matter where, as long as it’s not in Russia or Belarus,” he told reporters, underscoring that Kyiv’s sovereignty is not negotiable.
Reuters reported that a planned summit in Budapest this month between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was postponed after Moscow refused to soften its demands. The Kremlin reportedly insisted Ukraine recognize Russian control over several occupied territories as a condition for a ceasefire — a stance Kyiv has repeatedly rejected.
President Trump has publicly supported an immediate ceasefire along the current front lines, calling for “a freeze” in fighting to allow diplomacy to take hold. But Zelensky made clear that Ukraine will not retreat from its own land.
“We are approaching diplomacy from the position we hold now. We will not withdraw from any part of our territory. It’s important that the U.S. has now made this clear too,” he said.
While open to possible talks in Hungary, Zelensky voiced skepticism toward Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — a frequent critic of EU sanctions on Russia — calling him “a leader who obstructs everything for Ukraine.”
Beyond the battlefield, Zelensky urged Europe to sustain Ukraine’s financial lifeline for the next two to three years. “We are not fighting for decades,” he said. “But Europe must demonstrate that it can provide stable financial support for a certain period.”
EU leaders last week authorized the European Commission to prepare a massive new aid package using tens of billions of euros in frozen Russian assets. The plan would extend assistance for at least two more years.
“If the war ends within a month, we’ll use the money for recovery. If not, we’ll spend it on defense — we simply have no other choice,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky’s latest statements follow his visit to Sweden on October 22, where he reiterated readiness for a ceasefire and diplomacy but again rejected any territorial “swap” with Russia. His comments came after President Trump proposed a temporary freeze in eastern Ukraine, suggesting both sides stop fighting along the current line of control.
Russia, however, insists that Ukraine must withdraw from all of Donbass before any ceasefire can take effect. Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Kyiv and Western allies of “buying time,” while President Putin has maintained that peace will only come once Ukraine recognizes Russia’s “new borders.”
According to the DeepState analytical project, Russia currently controls about 19% of Ukraine’s territory — including parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia, regions Moscow claimed to have annexed in 2022. Russia also annexed Crimea in 2014.
As winter approaches, the question is no longer just how to stop the fighting — but whether the world’s power brokers can agree on what peace in Ukraine should look like.
