Kathrine Frich
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has surprised many with his latest comments on a U.S. peace proposal, calling Donald Trump’s suggestion to halt fighting along current front lines “a good compromise.”
The remarks is a softer tone from the Ukrainian leader, who earlier has long vowed to reclaim all occupied territories.
A shift in tone
Speaking during a visit to the Nordic countries on Wednesday, Zelensky confirmed that the U.S. president had proposed freezing the conflict at existing positions and beginning talks.
“(Trump) proposed: ‘Let’s stay where we are and start conversations.’ I think it was a good compromise, but I’m not sure Putin will support it, and I told the president that,” Zelensky told reporters, according to AFP.
The comment stands in contrast to Zelensky’s earlier statements rejecting any territorial concessions to Russia.
His acknowledgment of Trump’s plan as a “compromise” is the first sign that Kyiv may be open to discussions around the current battle lines, at least in principle.
Trump’s new proposal
During a press conference aboard Air Force One on Sunday, President Trump suggested that Ukraine and Russia should “stop at the battle line” and begin negotiations.
“Let it be divided as it is,” he said, adding that “it can stay the way it is now.”
He also left open the door for future talks: “I can negotiate something later, but for now, both sides should stop fighting and stop the killing.”
The idea effectively calls for a ceasefire that would lock in the current territorial divisions, leaving Russia in control of much of the Donbas and southern Ukraine.
Tense White House talks
Trump’s statements followed a heated meeting with Zelensky at the White House last week.
According to The Financial Times, the discussion “degenerated into a full-blown argument” as Trump urged Ukraine to accept a Russian proposal to cede the Donbas region, warning Zelensky that “Putin will destroy you.”
European officials briefed on the meeting said Moscow had offered to exchange Ukrainian-held areas of Donbas for small territories in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, a deal Trump’s team reportedly supported.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff was among those pressing Kyiv to accept the “territorial exchange.”
Doubts about Putin
Despite calling the U.S. proposal “a good compromise,” Zelensky expressed skepticism that the Kremlin would agree.
“I’m not sure Putin will support it,” he said.
His remark suggests that while Kyiv may be reconsidering the political optics of negotiation, trust in Moscow remains non-existent.
Zelensky’s comments come as battlefield momentum has slowed and Western support faces increasing strain.
Whether his words signal a genuine shift in policy or a diplomatic maneuver remains uncertain, but they mark the first time Ukraine’s president has publicly entertained a freeze along the current front lines.
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, which may have used AI in the preparation
