Zelensky urges Ukraine front freeze for talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Wednesday for freezing the front in the war with Russia as a first step toward ceasefire talks.

“Right now we have to freeze,” Zelensky said in a Fox and Friends interview when asked whether he would accept a peace deal that keeps the front along its current lines after Russia’s invasion.

Zelensky said Ukraine was open to negotiations, but warned that Kyiv must be included. “Don’t speak about us without us, please,” he said.

He also said any peace deal must include security guarantees from partners including the United States and European allies, so Ukrainians would not fear a return of occupation, aggression or killings.

The comments came as US envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian leader Vladimir Putin for talks on ending the war. Russia also announced that it would soon begin diesel shipments to the United States under a deal with President Donald Trump and that it had freed a US citizen held by Moscow since the start of the war.

Zelensky said Starlink and Starshield communications services used by Ukraine remained limited. He said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had told him he would work with his team to unblock the services.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that SpaceX owner Elon Musk had ordered a reduction in Starshield services. Musk previously said any limits would have come from Trump, which the US president denied.