Zelensky says he may be willing to give up Ukrainian territory to Russia for a peace deal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would consider conceding land for a peace deal amid the ongoing war with Russia.

Zelensky said the main condition for such an agreement would be NATO membership for the parts of Ukraine that are not controlled by 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,” he said during an interview with Sky News.

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

Zelensky said that a ceasefire deal was only possible if it was guaranteed that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not take more Ukrainian territory.

He said he would work with President-elect Donald Trump to end the war. 

"I want to work with him 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," Zelensky said.