Ukrainian President rules out possibility of "negotiation" with Russia

Responding to reports that Western countries are considering supporting a solution in which Russia retains control over some areas that were previously part of Ukraine, Russian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed in a video address on October 5 that Kiev has no plans to cede any territory to achieve peace in the conflict with Russia.

The leader said Ukrainian officials would discuss a “victory plan” for the country with Western countries next week, claiming the talks would help strengthen the country’s capabilities, especially in the military sphere.

Kiev has yet to announce the roadmap for the plan as previously promised. However, many media outlets claim that the plan includes security guarantees similar to those provided to Ukraine by NATO members, Kiev’s continued incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region as a “bargaining chip” for territory, the transfer of advanced Western-made weapons, and more international financial aid to Ukraine.

According to Bloomberg news agency, last month, a victory plan was presented by President Zelensky in the US but was said to have met with skepticism from officials who said it was not a specific plan, but instead just a list of mostly wishes.

The Ukrainian leader said talks with the West would bring them closer to ending the conflict under his “peace formula”.

"This is our goal - to ensure reliable peace and security for Ukraine. This can only be done based on international law and without any bargaining over sovereignty or territory," Zelensky said.

Mr Zelensky's comments came after the Financial Times reported that Western diplomats and some Ukrainian officials had agreed that security guarantees could form the basis for a negotiated solution as long as Russia retains de facto, but not de jure, control over all or part of Ukraine.

The article noted that the acceptance of such an agreement implicitly implied that “those lands would be recovered through future diplomatic means.”

For its part, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow is ready to declare an immediate ceasefire and start peace talks as soon as Ukraine begins to withdraw its troops from the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. However, in August, he ruled out any possibility of ending the fighting with Kiev until Ukrainian troops resumed their occupation of parts of Kursk.