Zelensky pushes for frozen front lines in urgent peace talks with Trump envoys
Zelensky pushes for frozen front lines in urgent peace talks with Trump envoys
Volodymyr Zelensky has held a “very positive” phone call with two envoys of former US president Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as Kyiv presses for a rapid diplomatic breakthrough to end Russia’s full-scale invasion. Speaking after the conversation on Monday, Ukraine’s president said the discussion focused on “reinvigorating peace efforts” despite global distractions such as rising tensions with Iran . The call took place during Zelensky’s stop in Moldova, underscoring the regional urgency of the talks.
In a separate interview with Sky News, Zelensky signalled his openness to freezing front-line positions as the quickest route to halting hostilities. “The fastest way to stop the fighting is to freeze the front line where it is now,” he told the broadcaster, adding that such a ceasefire would buy time for deeper negotiations . The remarks come as Ukrainian forces have recaptured territory roughly twice the size of Birmingham in recent weeks, pushing Russian troops back near Kharkiv and complicating Moscow’s logistical hold on occupied Crimea .
At a London summit on Monday, European leaders pledged fresh arms supplies to Ukraine while issuing fresh ultimatums to Moscow. British prime minister Keir Starmer hosted Zelensky alongside German chancellor Friedrich Merz and French president Emmanuel Macron, with the Ukrainian leader also raising the issue of frozen assets from Roman Abramovich’s sale of Chelsea FC that could be redirected to Kyiv . Downing Street confirmed the leaders discussed “how to strengthen Ukraine’s long-term security,” a theme that will dominate the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius .
Zelensky is due in Tallinn on Tuesday for the Nordic-Baltic NB8 summit, where he will meet Estonian president Alar Karis to coordinate further support. Earlier, he told the Guardian that Russian forces are “losing the initiative day by day,” citing Ukrainian drone strikes on St Petersburg and Crimea that have crippled fuel infrastructure . The UK’s Local Government Association has meanwhile faced criticism from Zelensky after some councils removed Ukrainian flags from civic buildings, a move he described as “unacceptable” during talks with Starmer .
With the G7 set to unveil a long-term Ukraine security package at the NATO summit later this week, diplomats say the twin tracks of battlefield pressure and diplomatic outreach are converging. Yet Moscow’s latest strikes, which killed four civilians on Monday, underscore the fragility of any pause in fighting .


