Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that Ukraine is willing to seek a ceasefire but will not agree to any territorial losses to Russia.
Zelensky, joined by First Lady Olena Zelensky, arrived in Finland on Tuesday for an official visit of short duration, where he met with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
During a joint press conference after meeting Stubb, Zelensky made it very clear that sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine are not negotiable.
When queried about the "red lines" of any armistice negotiations, he replied once again that although a ceasefire would ultimately be sought, Ukraine would not consider making any territorial concessions to Russia.
Zelensky avoided reacting to a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, reported by the Xinhua news agency. He stated he would hold back until he discussed it directly with Trump before he issued a public comment.
In their Tuesday call, Trump and Putin discussed the conflict in Ukraine and possible measures to revive bilateral relations. Although Zelensky did not exclude future talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials, he made it clear that negotiations could only be held if Russia stopped attacking. Zelensky also reaffirmed Ukraine's readiness to send a delegation to the United States to negotiate a possible ceasefire.
President Stubb reiterated that Finland is an unshakeable supporter of Ukraine, and underlined that Ukraine should come out of the war as an independent nation. He also proposed that apart from the Ukrainian, Russian, and US delegations, there should also be a European delegation in the negotiations.
At the same time, Ukraine's armed forces alleged that Russian troops carried out a mass drone and missile attack on Wednesday night, inflicting serious damage on energy and infrastructure assets in the country.
The Ukrainian Air Force said that two Iskander-M missiles, four guided missiles for S-300 systems, and 145 combat and replica drones were used in the attack, targeting six regions in southern, northern, and central Ukraine.
The Ukrainian authorities said the strike had affected several areas, such as a railway power grid in the Dnipropetrovsk area, a hospital in the Sumy area, and farm machinery in Chernihiv.
Two individuals were also injured in the Kyiv area, while some civilian structures, including 18 private residences, 20 apartments, and two stores, were destroyed during the attack.
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