None of Ukraine's plans to end the war envisages ceasefire, ceding territory, Podolyak says.

None of the plans Ukraine is developing to end Russia's war envisages a ceasefire or ceding territory to Moscow, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Presidential Office, told Current Time on Sept.

17. Podolyak's statement echoed a recent comment of Dmytro Lytvyn, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky,  who dismissed Bild's article saying that Kyiv was allegedly ready to freeze the conflict as part of its "Victory Plan" as "fake."   "(Freezing of the conflict) will not lead to the end of the war but will only lead to Russia gaining the opportunity to accumulate additional resources and proceed to the third stage (of the war) with more mass killings of civilians in Ukraine," Podolyak said.

"There are no concepts of ceding territories, there are no concepts of freezing the conflict," he added. Kyiv has repeatedly rejected any ceasefire or temporary break in hostilities, saying it would only provide a window of opportunity for Russia to regroup its forces. Last month, Zelensky said that Ukraine's operations in Russia's Kursk Oblast were part of his "Victory Plan."

The other aspects of the plan include Ukraine's participation in the global security infrastructure, pressuring Russia to end the war through diplomatic means, and an economic aspect, Zelensky said without revealing further details. According to Zelensky, the plan is over 90% complete, and Kyiv is preparing to present it to allies next week. Ukraine is preparing for a second peace summit, following its first global peace summit in Switzerland in June where Russia was not invited.

Kyiv has said it aims to invite a Russian representative to the second conference.

Estonian President Karis: We have to cross all 'red lines,' then start forcing Russia out of Ukraine Estonian President Alar Karis is very diplomatic. His country of 1.3 million people borders Russia, while the ongoing messy election campaign in Washington, D.C. forces European diplomats to question whether the U.S. will help countries like Estonia in case of a direct confrontation with Moscow.

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