On the eve of the planned summit in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, diplomatic circles are actively discussing a possible change in Kyiv's position.
According to The Telegraph, citing European sources, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to consider the option of ending hostilities while effectively maintaining Russian control over the currently occupied territories in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Kherson regions, and Crimea.
This scenario, supported by some European capitals, involves freezing the front line and providing Ukraine with security guarantees, including continued arms supplies and the prospect of joining NATO. At the same time, Zelensky stressed that no agreements should include additional territorial concessions beyond the already occupied lands.
European leaders, including Emmanuel Macron, Donald Tusk and Friedrich Merz, have said that changing internationally recognized borders by force is unacceptable. They plan to meet with Trump on Wednesday to make their case ahead of his talks with Putin.
Trump himself stated that at the summit he would seek to agree on the partial return of Ukrainian lands, but criticized Kyiv's position on the need for constitutional approval of any territorial changes.
NATO, in turn, emphasized that the de facto occupation cannot receive legal recognition. The Ukrainian authorities remind that Russia continues to build up its military forces and is preparing for new offensives, so it is too early to talk about the Kremlin's readiness to end the war.
As of today, Russia holds about 20% of Ukraine's territory within the 1991 borders. The UK, Canada and other partners have called for avoiding attempts to impose any decisions on Kyiv, stressing that peace agreements should be the result of negotiations with Ukraine's participation, not adopted behind its back.