ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outlined Kyiv’s "red lines" on Thursday for the upcoming peace talks on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

During a meeting with territorial community leaders in northern Ukraine's Chernihiv region, Zelenskyy emphasized that maintaining the country's army size would be a top priority in the negotiations.

“To be honest, we will do everything to leave the army in the same state in terms of numbers that it is today. A large army, which is three times larger than at the beginning of the war. An army that can only be modernized,” Zelenskyy said.

He added that Ukraine would not accept any recognition of territories currently under Russian control as part of Russia, stressing that a just peace would only be achieved when all of Ukraine’s territories are returned.

“But if it can be done to find a compromise so that the return of these territories takes place over time through diplomatic means... I think that for some territories, this will probably be the only path," he went on to say.

"Another question is which of our partners will stand with us on this. It depends on the dignity and morality of other partners, not Ukraine," he added.

Commenting on Ukraine’s NATO membership, Zelenskyy reaffirmed that the topic remains on the negotiating table despite opposition from some member states.

“It is important that we have appropriate guarantees similar to NATO while we are not part of the alliance. This is about contingents, about the efforts by our partners, on which we can really count,” he expressed.

He also mentioned that Ukraine is currently discussing with several countries the possibility of deploying naval and aerial contingents, though he did not provide further details.