Ukraine and Russia must sit down at the negotiating table before the start of next winter - Zelenskyy

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that a diplomatic path to ending the war must be found and negotiations with Russia must begin before the start of next winter. He said this in an interview with Face the Nation, UNN reports.

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According to him, starting from December 2025, Russia began to lose the initiative on the battlefield. He noted that in January 2026, he informed American partners about the possibility of a "window for negotiations," as he believes Russia will lose more and more troops every month.

Zelenskyy claims that currently, Russian forces cannot occupy more territory in a month than Ukraine liberates.

"I believe that we need to find a diplomatic path – to sit down and talk – before the start of next winter. But this depends on internal pressure on Putin from his society, as well as on the sanctions pressure from the US and Europe on Russia," the President stated.

Commenting on the possible format of European participation in the negotiations, Zelenskyy mentioned the E3 format, which includes the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. He noted that he is not sure if this is the best option, but these countries could represent Europe.

He also added that Ukraine has partners in Northern Europe, and Türkiye has repeatedly acted as a mediator and facilitated, in particular, the return of Ukrainian prisoners of war.

According to Zelenskyy, the final decision on who will represent Europe at potential negotiations should be made jointly by Ukraine and European states. At the same time, he emphasized that the key condition remains Russia's readiness for dialogue and Europe's participation in this process.

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