In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a ceasefire deal could be struck if Ukrainian territory he controls were to be taken “under the NATO umbrella”, allowing him to negotiate the return of the rest later “in a diplomatic way”.
Friday 29 November 2024 19:38, UK
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By Diana Magnay, international correspondent
Beyond ending the war within 24 hours, which is clearly unrealistic, Donald Trump has been cagey on how exactly he’d manage it.
“Peace through strength” was what he declared he’d deliver as he nominated retired general Keith Kellogg to the post of special envoy for Ukraine and Russia on Wednesday.
Ukraine’s leader is clearly staking quite a bit on Trump’s presidency, hoping that if he shows a strong hand in supporting Ukraine, the rest of Europe will follow suit.
For President Zelenskyy, NATO membership – and the solid security guarantee of Article 5, even if only an aspiration at this stage – is an inescapable part of how he sees his country’s future.
From what we know of General Kellogg’s proposals for peace, outlined in a policy paper back in April, NATO membership would be deferred indefinitely with Ukraine’s security against further Russian aggression guaranteed instead by a strong bilateral security architecture.
So how much more cash and weaponry would Trump be willing to provide Ukraine to truly safeguard its security when the Republicans – and the US more broadly – want less foreign wars, not more?
For deterrence to work, Vladimir Putin has to believe that when president-elect Trump says he’ll act strong, he means it. And Ukraine has to hope that Trump doesn’t tire of the process when he realises just how difficult it is.
Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik says receiving security guarantees from NATO would be “absolutely crucial” in any proposed ceasefire deal with Russia to stop Vladimir Putin rearming and restarting the war.
In an exclusive interview with Sky News’s chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested a ceasefire deal could be struck if Ukrainian territory he controls could be taken “under the NATO umbrella” – allowing him to negotiate the return of the rest later “in a diplomatic way” (see 18.02 post).
Speaking to presenter Jonathan Samuels tonight, Ms Rudik said that Zelenskyy’s plans so far seem “very vague”.
“I understand that he’s trying to figure out what’s the best for our country, but as of right now, there are many details that have to be there for us to start considering it,” she said.
“What so many people from Ukraine right now are fighting at the front for is to make sure that our children will not have to fight this war again, over and over,” she continued.
“Security guarantees are absolutely crucial and not the ones that are on the paper, but they are actually the ones that can be executed.”
Ms Rudik pointed out that there had been more than “200 rounds of negotiations” over Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 which “took us only to a full-scale invasion in 2022”.
“There is nothing that would stop them repeating this over and over again,” she added.
By Dominic Waghorn, international affairs editor
It’s the language tone of President Zelenskyy in this interview that is intriguing. Does it represent a significant shift?
Eighteen months ago the Ukrainian leader told Sky’s Kay Burley he had no interest in talking with Putin for peace talks.
Today he had this to say to Sky’s Stuart Ramsay:
“To talk just for talk, just for ambitions of Putin. Now, I think it’s it’s not smart. So we need to be in the position of strong position. And if we will be in strong position, you will hear us.”
President Zelenskyy can sometimes be cryptic. But he seems to be hinting at least at the possibility of talks with the Russians. As well he might.
Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear he wants this war to end through negotiations.
To many, any deal that allows Russia to keep what it has taken by naked unprovoked force would be disastrous for the rules based world order.
It has been compared to giving Hitler the Sudetenland in 1938 by Chamberlain et al at Munich. They hoped that would appease the German dictator, it failed to deter him with devastating consequences for the whole world.
Ukrainians make that comparison often and ask what would stop the Russians using any “peace agreement” to rearm and return stronger to take the rest of their country?
President Zelenskyy tells Stuart Ramsay he will need “guarantees that Putin will not come back”.
Those guarantees will need to be cast iron this time, unlike promises made in the past to the Ukrainians by the West that ended in betrayal and emboldened Putin to launch his murderous invasion and war.
He knows NATO membership is not on the cards. Trump’s team have made that very clear. But in this interview is he starting the bidding, starting high knowing he will have to settle for less?
The interview between a wartime president in fatigues and Sky’s war correspondent, is a fascinating exchange and will be pored over by policymakers in the Kremlin as well as the West as both sides prepare for what may be coming.
You can watch Ramsay’s full interview with Zelenskyy at 9pm.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is thinking about the future of his people when suggesting a ceasefire deal could be stuck with Russia, says chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay.
“The reason he’s reaching this point is that while land is important to a nation like Ukraine, it’s actually the people that make up the country,” says Ramsay.
“And the simple fact is, he’s losing so many young men fighting, huge numbers of the population have left the country.
“And so he’s talking about the future of the country. And if he has to just accept that Russia has this land for the time being, then that might be the best course for the country.”
The Ukrainian president has told Sky News a deal could be struck to stop the fighting with Russia if Ukrainian territory he controls were taken “under the NATO umbrella”.
You can watch Ramsay’s full interview with Zelenskyy at 9pm.
You can watch our full interview with Volodymyr Zelenskyy this evening.
The Ukrainian president’s discussion with chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay will be shown on The World from 9pm.
Watch Sky News live for free on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on the Sky News website and app or on YouTube.
By Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent
I think Vladimir Putin will be a happy man tonight following this interview.
After being locked in a months-long stand-off over how the war ends, his opposite number appears to have blinked first, giving his clearest indication yet that Ukraine could be willing to cede territory (albeit not legally) in a peace deal.
As a man who doesn’t like to back down, the Russian president will view this as a psychological victory.
The same goes for Zelenskyy’s comments about being more afraid of losing people than land.
I expect Moscow will want to make the most of this.
It comes after a week of threats from the Kremlin in the wake of Ukraine firing Western weapons on Russian territory.
It’s perfect material for the propaganda machine, which can spin it as a climb-down by Kyiv in the face of Russian superiority.
That’s likely to be the public response. In private, though, could Zelenskyy’s apparent willingness to compromise promote similar movement here?
Officially, Vladimir Putin has two conditions for a ceasefire. The first is that Kyiv hands over, in their entirety, the four Ukrainian regions Russia has claimed and occupies the majority of. The second is for Ukraine to abandon its NATO ambitions.
The two are clearly incompatible in the scenario outlined by Zelenskyy – any ceding of territory is only if NATO membership is bestowed on the rest of the country.
But there are signs Vladimir Putin is eyeing peace negotiations, after once again heaping praise on Donald Trump.
In comments he made yesterday, the Kremlin leader described Trump as “intelligent” and “experienced”, and said he believed the president-elect will “find the solution” to the war.
That doesn’t sound like a man hell-bent on a military victory. Rather, someone who’s trying to win the favour of the person who’ll be chairing discussions.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested a ceasefire deal could be struck if Ukrainian territory he controls could be taken “under the NATO umbrella” – allowing him to negotiate the return of the rest later “in a diplomatic way”.
In an interview with Sky News’s chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay, the Ukrainian president was asked to respond to media reports saying one of US president-elect Donald Trump’s plans to end the war might be for Kyiv to cede the land Moscow has taken to Russia in exchange for Ukraine joining NATO.
Zelenskyy said NATO membership would have to be offered to unoccupied parts of Ukraine to end the “hot phase of the war”, as long as the NATO invitation itself recognises Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders.
He appeared to accept occupied eastern parts of the country would fall outside of such a deal for the time being.
“If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we need to take under the NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control,” he said.
“We need to do it fast. And then on the [occupied] territory of Ukraine, Ukraine can get them back in a diplomatic way.”
Zelenskyy said a ceasefire was needed to “guarantee that Vladimir Putin will not come back” to take more Ukrainian territory.
He also said NATO should “immediately” cover the part of Ukraine that remains under Kyiv’s control, something he said Ukraine needs “very much otherwise he will come back”.
The interview is the first time Zelenskyy has hinted at a ceasefire deal that would include Russian control of Ukrainian territory.
Throughout the conflict Zelenskyy has never said he would cede any occupied Ukrainian territory to Russia – including Crimea, which Russia occupied in February 2014 and formally annexed the following month.
You can watch our full interview with Zelenskyy at 9pm.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he has emphasised the importance of Ukraine’s invitation to join NATO during a “productive” talk with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Kyiv has urged the military alliance to let it join when its leaders meet in Brussels next week, a letter has revealed (see 15.40 post).
Along with the topic of NATO membership, Zelenskyy says he and Mr Macron discussed how to enhance Ukraine’s air defence and “the expansion of long-range capabilities”.
Ukraine’s prime minister has announced the country has received $100m (£78.6m) as part of a loan from South Korea.
Denys Shmyhal said the funds will be put towards Ukraine’s social sector by supporting budget expenses.
“I am thankful to the Republic of Korea for supporting Ukraine during the conditions of a full-scale war,” he said.
Kyiv and Seoul signed an agreement in April 2024 enabling Ukraine to attract up to $2.1bn (£1.65bn) in concessional loans over 2024-2029.
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