Follow-Up: Zelenskyy Draws His Negotiating Line in ABC Interview: Ready for a Quick Ceasefire, but No to Giving Up 25% of Territory

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with the American Broadcasting Company on October 23 that Ukraine is ready to end the military conflict with Russia as soon as possible, but will not give up more territory to do so, Ukraine's Ukrinform news agency reported on October 24. The remarks clarify days of speculation about his position: he rejects any proposal that Ukraine give up 25% of its territory, and he put a number on how much territory Russia actually controls.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine is willing to reach a ceasefire agreement but rejects the proposal to give up 25% of its territory. Russian forces currently control about 19.3% of Ukrainian territory, he said, and giving up 25% would mean Ukraine abandoning areas of Donbas that Russia has not occupied — something Kyiv will absolutely not accept. In a Fox News live program on October 21, Zelenskyy had said he could accept a peace deal that left Ukraine controlling at least 75% of its territory, which GSM reported on October 22; the October 23 ABC interview drew the line more sharply: freezing along the current contact line is negotiable, but legally recognizing occupied territory as Russian is not.

In the same interview, Zelenskyy expressed regret over the recent reduction in U.S. aid. He said Ukraine received only 24 Patriot air defense interceptors from the United States over the past three months, far short of actual needs: Kyiv alone was hit by 30 ballistic missiles on the night of October 22, and Ukraine needs an average of 350 Patriot missiles per month. According to U.S. media reports, Washington has recently increased pressure on Zelenskyy to make concessions to secure a peace deal with Russia, and President Donald Trump has repeatedly blamed Ukraine for the lack of progress in U.S.-mediated peace talks.

On the negotiating track, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on October 22 that Russia and the United States had agreed to restart trilateral talks. The start date of the Oleshky ceasefire in the Kherson region remains in dispute: Russian and Ukrainian military officials say the ceasefire silence begins on October 27, while the White House previously said October 29 — a discrepancy GSM reported on October 24.

Source: GSM·USA

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 乌克兰总统泽连斯基官方肖像（乌克兰总统府 president.gov.ua，CC BY 4.0） Official portrait of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Office of the President of Ukraine, president.gov.ua, CC BY 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons

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