Old suggestion under new circumstances: Zelenskyj wants to freeze the front line

After speculation about an American-Russian-Chinese summit that would also focus on Ukraine, Ukrainian President Zelensky has declared an immediate freezing of the current front lines possible. However, there are no substantial new proposals on the table so far.

New initiative in the Ukraine war? On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the US broadcasterFox News, he is ready to immediately freeze the current front lines with Russia. “Yes, we have to freeze the front lines now,” he said in an interview, adding: “I think that is a real way to end this war.”

The freeze and a ceasefire are “the absolute minimum we are demanding from Russia today.” Zelensky's statement came in response to a question about whether he would "accept a peace agreement that takes into account the status quo" so that Ukraine "continues to retain 75 percent or more" of its land. He expressly did not say that Ukraine would accept the line of the front as a permanent territorial division and would recognize the Russian territories under international law.

Zelensky's proposal is not new either. Ukraine has already suggested stopping fighting along the current front line several times. The proposals were rejected by Russia because, according to Moscow, they would only give Ukraine a breathing space to rearm.

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Tensions between Ukraine and the USA

What is interesting, however, is the background against which Zelenskyj is making this proposal again. In recent weeks, Ukraine has come under increasing pressure from the USA. reported in mid-OctoberUkrainian armed forcesabout sudden restrictions on the military satellite communication Starshield, which is part of the Starlink system of the US company SpaceXAI. These led to Ukraine having to cancel several drone operations. According to research byCBS NewsThe decision to restrict came from SpaceXAI boss Elon Musk, who had previously held discussions with representatives of the Trump administration. The US government denies that it ordered the restriction of Starshield.

An agreement between the USA and Russia to supply Russian diesel had previously met with strong criticism from Ukraine. Following the announcement, Ukraine intensified its attacks on Russian oil facilities. US President Trump then called for Zelensky to be replaced and accused Ukraine of not appreciating the immense financial and military support from the US: “We have given Ukraine a lot – it has given us nothing.”Trumpalso called on Ukraine to freeze fighting and agree to an agreement with Russia.

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Witkoff is holding talks with Ukraine and Russia

Earlier this week, Zelensky spoke by phone with US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Possible steps to resume negotiations were discussed. On Tuesday, Zelensky met Witkoff personally in NorwayOslo, together with representatives from several European countries as well as NATO and the EU. To theTopics of conversationThese included, among other things, a possible peace framework, security guarantees for Ukraine, an economic reconstruction plan for the post-war period, a European security order and the preparation of direct negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and the USA.

Following the talks in Oslo, Witkoff went on to St. Petersburg, where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin.Kremlin advisorAfter the meeting, Yuri Ushakov criticized the proposals submitted from Oslo as “not very substantial”. However, Russia is “in principle ready” to resume trilateral negotiations with the USA and Ukraine. He mentioned mid-November as a possible time frame, i.e. after the US midterm elections. Russia also wants to focus the talks on the question of a post-war security order.

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A certain oneattentionPutin's proposal for a three-way summit with US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping also attracted attention. This suggestion had already become known in a newspaper report before Witkoff's trip to Russia and was confirmed by the Russian side on Wednesday. According to the original report, an end to the Ukraine war could also be negotiated at such a three-party summit. The APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, in mid-November was mentioned as a possible date. There is currently no confirmation that the three-party summit will actually take place.

The proposal was seen in Europe and Ukraine primarily as a Russian provocation. Zelensky urged that Ukraine also take part in such a meeting. The German oneChancellorFriedrich Merz (CDU) also insisted on the direct participation of European representatives in all Ukraine negotiations.

The Donbass issue

The fact that Zelensky's push for a freeze on the front line does not represent a substantially new position is made clear by the question of the Donbass region. This includes the previous Ukrainian administrative regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Russia claims both areas in full, although it does not yet fully control them militarily. OneanalysisAccording to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukraine still controlled a good 20 percent of the Donetsk Oblast area as of mid-October.

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The US mediation attempts in 2025 also failed because of Russia's demand for control over the entire Donbass, as the New York Times reported in a statementBackground articleat the turn of the year. The disputed areas, which are not yet under Russian control, would put Russia in a much more favorable position to threaten large Ukrainian cities such as Kharkiv, Kherson, Odessa or Kiev.

Against this background, there are currently no signs that Ukraine or Russia are offering any major concessions. Nevertheless, Zelensky's proposal could create a practical basis for new negotiations and thus also de-escalate Ukrainian-American relations.

Meanwhile, the shooting continues unabated. Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital Kiev with missiles on Thursday night, while drone attacks were reported from Moscow.

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