Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is understood to accept a cease-fire with Russia that left parts of his country occupied in return for Nato security guarantees over the rest. This gesture is the strongest signal that the Ukrainian leader is open to ending the war without regaining all territory.
Zelenskyy commented in an interview with Sky News broadcast Friday when asked about a scenario where Nato security guarantees covered only territory controlled by Kyiv.
“If we want to stop the war, we should take under the Nato umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control. That’s what we need to do fast,” Zelenskyy said in the interview, according to a translation by Sky News. “And then Ukraine can return the other part of its territory diplomatically.”
He added that no country has made such a proposal to Ukraine and that it would be difficult to establish Nato protection for only part of a country. Members of NNATO have resisted Ukraine’s aspirations to join the military alliance anytime soon because its provision for mutual defense would require them to send in their forces to repel any future attacks.
The nearly three-year war is heading for a turning point next year as Russian troops make steady advances from the east and US President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to end the hostilities.
The US and Ukraine have long insisted that Russia not be able to keep forces in the country, a stance that’s harder to achieve in the short-term.
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