On October 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the country was ready for peace talks but would not withdraw from any more territories as a precondition requested by Russia.
The statement comes as diplomatic efforts to seek a ceasefire are being launched.
Mr Zelensky said he was willing to let the negotiations take place anywhere, except in Russia or Belarus, Moscow's close ally.
Kiev's tough stance on territory comes after plans for a summit in Budapest between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were postponed. The reason for the delay is said to be because Russia is determined to demand Ukraine to cede more territory as a condition for a ceasefire, a request that both Ukraine and the US have rejected.
President Zelensky also revealed that Ukrainian and European officials will meet this weekend (October 31 or November 1) to discuss details of a ceasefire plan.
However, he stressed that this is not a comprehensive peace plan to end the conflict. According to him, the immediate goal is to achieve a ceasefire, which is considered the first step to pave the way for future diplomatic solutions.
He said advisers from both sides will soon meet to discuss the specific ceasefire plan.
President Zelensky affirmed that he did not focus on the issue of negotiation locations. He is willing to attend peace talks anywhere, including in Hungary, despite having certain "favorites" towards Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
He said that as long as there are results, the location of the event is almost un imported. However, he made two unacceptable exceptions: The negotiations cannot take place in Russia or Belarus.
On this occasion, President Zelensky called on US lawmakers to pass tougher sanctions against Russia, after President Trump imposed sanctions on Russia's two largest oil and gas companies. He stressed that Ukraine will need stable funding from its European allies in the next two or three years.
Finally, the Ukrainian leader expressed hope for China's role. "We hope that China will put pressure on Russia to end this conflict and not support the continued conflict in any form," he said.
