(MENAFN) Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has publicly supported the idea of a ceasefire with Russia based on the current positions held by both sides on the battlefield. His remarks came shortly after former U.S. President Donald Trump made a similar appeal for an immediate halt to hostilities.

“We have to stop where we are. The president is right,” Zelensky told reporters during a visit to Washington, DC on Friday. He added that both parties should pause the fighting and begin discussions on the next steps toward a negotiated settlement. “Yes, both sides have to stop,” he emphasized.

Earlier the same day, Zelensky met with Trump at the White House, just one day after Trump had spoken by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has frequently voiced frustration with the ongoing conflict, criticizing the lack of diplomatic progress and the continued financial and military burden placed on Western allies.

On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump urged both leaders to bring the violence to an end. “Stop the killing, and make a DEAL!” he wrote, adding, “Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts. They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide! No more shooting, no more Death, no more vast and unsustainable sums of money spent.”

The Kremlin has responded to such proposals by reiterating its own conditions for a ceasefire.

Russian officials have said that any meaningful truce must include Ukraine’s withdrawal from Russian-claimed territories and an end to all Western military assistance to Kiev. Moscow has also continued to demand recognition of the territorial changes resulting from the war and that Ukraine formally abandons its ambitions to join NATO.

While Zelensky’s recent statement may suggest a shift toward exploring diplomatic options, it remains unclear how the Ukrainian leadership will reconcile these positions with Russia’s conditions, or how Western backers will respond to the call for halting support.

The idea of freezing the conflict along current front lines—effectively solidifying territorial changes without a final peace treaty—marks a potentially significant moment in the broader debate about how and when the war could be brought to an end.

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