(MENAFN) Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has expressed willingness to engage in peace discussions with Russia, but only after hostilities cease along the current battlefield positions.

His remarks followed a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday, where Zelensky supported Trump’s appeal for both sides to “stop where they are.”

In an interview broadcast on Sunday, Zelensky emphasized the need for a diplomatic resolution.

“Yes, I agree. If we want to stop this war and to go to peace negotiations, urgently and in a diplomatic way, we need to stay where we stay,” he stated. However, he made it clear that Ukraine would not cede any “additional” land to Russia.

Zelensky indicated his openness to peace negotiations “in any format, bilateral, trilateral,” but insisted these discussions could only commence once active combat had ended.

“Not under missiles, not under drones,” he remarked, underlining the importance of halting attacks before talks could begin. When asked about the possibility of attending a proposed summit in Budapest between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky responded, “I’m ready.”

The Ukrainian head of state also acknowledged that Trump had, up to this point, refused to supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Meanwhile, Moscow has laid out its own prerequisites for any ceasefire. Russia demands that Ukrainian forces pull out from regions it considers part of its territory, end military conscription, and stop accepting defense assistance from foreign countries.

In addition, Russia insists that Ukraine must acknowledge its newly defined borders and abandon aspirations of joining NATO.

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