Zelensky shifts stance: Open to talks if Russia returns to 2022 borders

This is a significant change in President Zelensky's rhetoric, as he previously maintained that negotiations with the Kremlin would only be possible if Russia completely withdrew its forces from Ukrainian territory.

Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine will, under no circumstances, recognize any territorial annexations by Russia. The Kremlin illegally annexed the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions in September 2022.

The President of Ukraine also stressed that any peacekeeping forces deployed in Ukraine should include U.S. troops. Before sitting down at the negotiating table, he wants to know what security guarantees Trump can provide to Ukraine.

- The only question is what security guarantees and honestly I want to have understanding before the talks. If he [Trump] can guarantee this strong and irreversible security for Ukraine, we will move along this diplomatic path, - he said.

President Zelensky also denied reports from some media outlets that claimed Ukraine spoke of the need to deploy 200,000 Western soldiers. He explained that such a need would arise only if Ukraine had to reduce the number of its Armed Forces due to a lack of funding – then 200,000 peacekeepers would be needed to continue containing Russia.

Zelensky also declared that he would not agree to lower the mobilization age to 18. Earlier, Western media reported that Joe Biden's administration tried to pressure Zelensky into such a decision.

- Why mobilize even more young people? To have even more people without weapons? - he responded to the Bloomberg reporter's question.

Currently, men from the age of 25 are subject to mobilization. In October 2024, deputies of Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada officially banned the mobilization of Ukrainians aged 18 to 25.