Yesterday, President Volodymyr Zelensky advocated a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine and presented the idea of deploying foreign troops in his country until it becomes a member of NATO.
His remarks at a news conference with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz are the latest sign of Kiev's growing willingness to negotiate an end to the war, as Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House on January 20.
The US president-elect, who has said he wants to end the war quickly, called for an immediate ceasefire and talks to end the "madness" on Sunday after meeting Zelenskiy and French President Emmanuel Macron for talks in Paris.
"Ukraine wants this war to end more than anyone. There is no doubt, a diplomatic solution would save more lives. We are asking for it," Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv yesterday, Reuters reported.
He said that he talked with Macron and Trump about "freezing" the front lines in the war. Russia controls nearly a fifth of Ukraine's territory after launching an invasion in 2022.
The Interfax agency announced yesterday, citing Zelensky, that almost 800.000 Russian soldiers are currently deployed in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian leader said that he told Macron and Trump that he did not believe that Putin really wanted to end the war and that the Russian president would have to be forced to do so.
"You can use force only if Ukraine is strong. A strong Ukraine before any diplomacy means a strong (Ukraine) on the battlefield," he said, implying that Kiev needs help to get stronger.
He received rhetorical support from Merz, the favorite in the race to be the next German chancellor, who during his visit compared Berlin's current policy to forcing Ukraine to fight with its hands tied.
Zelensky also returned to the idea put forward by Macron in February, who proposed the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine. There was no consensus among European leaders on this issue.
"We can think and work on Emanuel's position. He proposed that part of the troops of a country be present on the territory of Ukraine, which would guarantee our security until Ukraine is in NATO," Zelensky said.
"But we must have a clear picture of when Ukraine will be in the EU and when Ukraine will be in NATO," he added.
Ukraine, which is pushing hard to win an invitation to join NATO, has insisted throughout the war that it needs security guarantees to prevent Russia from launching a new invasion once current hostilities end.
"If there were to be a break while Ukraine is not in NATO, even if we had an invitation and we would not be in NATO, who will guarantee us any security?" Zelenski asked at the press conference.
Russia demands that Ukraine give up its ambitions for NATO membership and believes that Kiev's membership in that alliance would represent an unacceptable security threat.
The Ukrainian leader told reporters that he hopes to invite outgoing US President Joe Biden in the coming days to discuss membership in the Western military alliance.
"I plan to call President Biden soon ... and raise the issue of the NATO membership invitation," he said.
"He is the current president and a lot depends on his opinion. It makes no sense to talk to President Trump about something that is not currently within his competence - while he is not yet in the White House."
Ukraine plans to convene a meeting of its key European allies in December to coordinate a common position and ensure that Kyiv is in a strong position on the battlefield in any potential negotiations, Zelensky's spokesman Sergey Nikiforov said yesterday.
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