Such an agreement would then allow the president to negotiate about the Russian-occupied areas.
According to Zelensky, the parts of the country that are not occupied must be offered NATO membership to put an end to the hostilities. However, the invitation to NATO would need to recognize Ukraine's internationally recognized borders.
If we want to stop the active part of the war, we must take the parts of Ukraine that we control under NATO's umbrella, says the president.
We need to do it quickly.
Guarantee that Putin does not return
Zelensky says that a ceasefire is needed to "guarantee that Putin does not come back" to take more Ukrainian territory. He also adds that NATO's protection is needed quickly, otherwise "he will come back".
The comments are a response to a question about how he stands on the incoming US President Donald Trump's proposal to end the war by letting Russia keep the occupied areas in exchange for Ukraine joining NATO.
Putin is said to want to negotiate
It is the first time since the large-scale war in Ukraine broke out in February 2022 that Zelensky has opened up for a ceasefire without Russia leaving all of Ukraine's territory. Zelensky has also stood firm that the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed in violation of international law in 2014, should be controlled by Ukraine again.
Russia controls around a fifth of Ukraine's territory.
Earlier, it has been said that Vladimir Putin is willing to negotiate, with the starting point that the occupied parts of Ukraine will remain under Russian control.
