President Volodymyr Zelensky is seeking a diplomatic solution to Russia's war in Ukraine and is touting the idea of foreign troops being stationed in his country until it can join the NATO military alliance.
These statements that Zelensky made at a joint press conference with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz were the latest to signal Kiev's opening to war negotiations, with Donald Trump preparing to return to the White House on January 20.
The US president-elect, who has said he wants to end the war quickly, called on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations to end the "madness" after meeting with Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
"Ukraine wants this war to end more than anyone else. Without a doubt, a diplomatic resolution would save more lives. We demand it," Zelensky told reporters in Kiev on Monday.
Returning to the idea floated in February by Macron, who spoke of the possibility of sending troops from European countries to Ukraine, but which did not find consensus among European leaders, Zelenskiy demanded that some of a country's troops be on Ukrainian territory to ensure security.
"We can think and work on Emmanuel's position. He suggested that part of one country's troops be present on the territory of Ukraine, which would guarantee our security, while Ukraine is not in NATO. But we need to have a clear understanding of when Ukraine will be in the EU and when Ukraine will be in NATO," Zelensky said.
Kiev, which has sought to join NATO, has insisted throughout the war that it needs security guarantees to prevent Russia from launching another invasion once current hostilities cease.
"If there is a pause while Ukraine is not in NATO, even if we had the invitation, and we would not be in NATO, then who guarantees us any kind of security?" Zelensky asked at the press conference.
Russia has demanded that Ukraine abandon its NATO ambitions and sees Kiev's membership in the alliance as an unacceptable security threat.