Ukraine’s President has said his government is prepared to discuss adopting a neutral status as part of a peace deal with Russia.
In an interview with independent Russian journalists, Volodymyr Zelensky said any such deal would have to be put to a referendum in Ukraine.
He has made similar comments before, but rarely so forcefully.
The news comes as the negotiations between the two countries are set to resume this week in Turkey.
Neutrality means a country does not ally itself militarily with others.
Mr Zelensky said that any potential agreement would require a face-to-face meeting with President Vladimir Putin and that effective security guarantees that Ukraine would not come under attack were essential.
The Ukrainian leader – speaking in Russian throughout the 90-minute video call – added that Russia’s invasion has caused the destruction of Russian-speaking cities in Ukraine.
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