Zelensky ready for truce talks, but will not give up territory

Ukraine is ready for peace talks but will not withdraw its troops from additional territory first as Moscow has demanded, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. In comments to reporters released on Tuesday, he said he was happy for talks to be held anywhere, except in Russia itself or on the territory of Moscow’s close ally Belarus.

Plans for a summit in Budapest this month between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were put on hold after Moscow stuck to demands, including that Ukraine cede more territory as a condition for a ceasefire.

Trump has backed Ukraine’s call for an immediate ceasefire on current lines.

Ukrainian and European officials will meet on Friday or Saturday to discuss the details of a ceasefire plan, Zelensky told reporters on Tuesday after meeting the visiting Dutch foreign minister, David van Weel.

“It is not a plan to end the war. First of all, a ceasefire is needed,” Zelensky said.

“This is a plan to begin diplomacy... Our advisers will meet in the coming days, we agreed on Friday or Saturday. They will discuss the details of this plan.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (first left) speaks with Netherlands' Minister of Foreign Affairs David van Weel (first right) during a meeting in Kyiv on Tuesday. AFP

In Monday’s comments to reporters, Zelensky said he was happy to attend peace talks, including in Hungary, despite reservations about some of the positions of its Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who, he said, “blocks everything for Ukraine”.

“If there will be results, then God bless - let the talks take place anywhere,” he said. “It almost doesn’t matter, just not in Russia, of course, and definitely not in Belarus.”

Zelensky also urged US lawmakers to pass tougher restrictions on Russia after Trump imposed sanctions on Moscow’s two biggest oil companies.

Ukraine would need stable financing from its European allies for another two or three years, Zelensky said.

He also said in his remarks on Tuesday that he hoped for China’s help to end the war.

“We would like very much for China to put pressure on Russia to end this war and not to assist its continuation in any way,” he said.

Ukraine’s long-range strikes on refineries inside Russia have reduced Moscow’s oil refining capacity by 20%, Ukrainian Zelensky said, citing intelligence from Western governments.

Over 90% of those deep strikes on Russian soil were carried out by Ukrainian-made long-range weapons, according to Zelensky. He said Ukraine needs additional foreign financial help to produce more of them.

“We just need to work on this every day,” he said in comments to the media on Monday that were embargoed until Tuesday.

Oil exports play a key role in funding Russia’s invasion of its neighbor Ukraine. While Ukrainian weapons take aim at the refineries, new sanctions from the US and the European Union are aiming to cut into Moscow’s oil and gas export earnings.

Despite renewed US-led peace efforts, the war shows no sign of ending after nearly four years. With the Kremlin showing no willingness to compromise, U.S. President Donald Trump raised the stakes by announcing sanctions last week against Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil.

Those sanctions are due to come into force on Nov. 21, and Zelensky says Trump “probably will use this as a tool of pressure or dialogue with the Russians.”

China and India are the biggest customers for Russian oil. Zelensky said India “has definitely given all the signals that it will reduce imports of energy resources” from Russia.

He said he is hopeful that Trump’s planned meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday will bring further reductions in purchases of Russian crude.

In other comments to reporters, Zelensky said: Ukraine has 70% of the $2 billion it needs to fund gas imports for the winter heating season as Russia steps up attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

* By next month Ukraine will be producing between 500-800 interceptors per day to stop Russia’s Shahed drone attacks, but operators also need training to use them.

* Ukraine has captured 2,200 Russian prisoners of war in over six months of fighting this year in the eastern region, where Russia’s bigger army is making a push to capture the city of Pokrovsk. where Ukraine is shoring up its defenses with more troops.

* Kyiv officials are holding parallel talks with Sweden, France and the U.S. to build up Ukraine’s future combat aviation potential. Zelensky says he has requested a fleet of 250 new aircraft in total.

Belarus will deploy Russia’s new Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic missile system in December, Russian state-run TASS news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Natalya Eismont, spokesperson for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Eismont said that preparations for the deployment were nearing completion.

Earlier, Lukashenko said the deployment was a response to what he called Western escalation. The Oreshnik missiles featured in joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises last month.

Agencies