Zelenskyy Open to Cease-Fire if NATO Protects Unoccupied Ukrainian Territory

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses world leaders during the U.N. General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 25, 2024. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would be willing to enter a cease-fire agreement with Russia provided the unoccupied parts of his nation received NATO protection.

The embattled leader said during a Nov. 29 interview with Sky News that such an arrangement would allow Kyiv to diplomatically seek the return of its occupied lands with Russia.

“If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we need to take under the NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control,” Zelenskyy said.

“We need to do it fast. And then on the [occupied] territory of Ukraine, Ukraine can get them back in a diplomatic way.”

The comments mark the first time that Zelenskyy has expressed an openness to a cease-fire arrangement in which Ukraine does not control all of its territory.

There have been several key shifts on the battlefield in recent weeks, including the launch of an experimental Russian missile and the loss of more territory to Russian forces in Ukraine-occupied Kursk.

President Joe Biden has allowed Ukraine the limited use of some anti-personnel mines and reportedly the authority to use U.S.-supplied tactical ballistic missiles against military targets in Russian territory, but such measures appear to have had little effect on the battlefield thus far.

Despite these developments, it is unlikely that Zelenskyy’s suggestion would be accepted by either Moscow or NATO.

Ukraine has sought membership in NATO since 1997. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Ukraine’s membership would present an unacceptable security risk to Russia and has demanded that Kyiv pledge to never join the alliance as a condition of ending the war.

Even if Putin should express a willingness to soften that position, there would be other hurdles for Ukraine.

The first is that admission to the alliance requires the unanimous consent of all members. That would be a tall order given that some NATO members, such as Hungary and Turkey, have previously expressed an unwillingness to accept Ukraine’s bid for membership, given Russia’s concerns.

The second hurdle is that it is not currently clear if Ukraine meets the standards of transparency and anti-corruption measures expected of NATO members.

Like most post-Soviet nations, Ukraine has historically struggled with high levels of corruption. Though that has improved over the past decade, it is unlikely the nation can demonstrate the ability to contribute to NATO’s 2016 Building Integrity Policy. That policy aims to ensure transparency in defense institutions and accountability to democratic forms of governance.

Finally, it is unclear whether NATO would accept Ukraine into the fold so long as Kyiv lays claims to the territories occupied by Russia, as this could put the alliance at an increased risk of being drawn into a war through its mutual defense obligations.

Zelesnkyy’s comments follow President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of retired Gen. Keith Kellogg as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.

Kellogg previously outlined a plan for ending the war that would seek to freeze the front lines and push for a negotiation between Kyiv and Moscow.

Zelenskyy said he hoped to work with Trump directly to bring an end to the fighting.

“I want to work with him [Trump] directly because there are different voices from people around him. And that’s why we need not to [allow] anybody around to destroy our communication,” he said.

“I want to share with him ideas and I want to hear from him.”