Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the war with Russia to be frozen along current battle lines before the two sides can enter peace negotiations, even as his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin continues to demand that Ukraine cede the entire Donetsk region in the east to Russia.

According to Qatar News Agency, Zelenskyy affirmed the need to end the war, especially from the contact line between the two armies. To end the war and return to peace negotiations, the Ukrainian president stressed that the soldiers need to stay where they are, as to not cede anything more to Putin.

During a phone call with US President Donald Trump on October 16, the Russian president demanded that Kyiv cede full control of Donetsk as a condition for ending the war, the Washington Post reported, citing unidentified senior officials.

The Ukrainian president has repeatedly refused to cede any territory to Russia.