We want peace – but not on Putin's terms, Ukrainians say

Weary of Russia's war, the citizens of Ukraine are nevertheless wary of a settlement that might give away too much, or that doesn't carry a security guarantee, reports Liz Cookman in Kyiv

- Liz Cookman in Kyiv

Volodomyr Zelensky may have felt some sense of relief when he returned from his White House summit last Monday. His European allies appeared to have persuaded Donald Trump to agree to a "reassurance force", and no demands had yet been made on what the US president had ominously referred to as "land swaps".

But the mood in Kyiv one week on remains wary. There is a hunger for peace, though not at any price. And while Zelensky is still popular, his political rivals are beginning to mark out red lines they believe the president should not cross.

In an interview with The Observer, the country’s previous president, Petro Poroshenko, warned that peace could not come at the price of sovereignty. Speaking at the Kyiv courtroom where he was testifying in the latest hearing of his lawsuit against the man who defeated him in 2019, Poroshenko outlined what he said must be Ukraine's red lines in the peace negotiations: no concessions on territory, language, European integration, security or the church. "Anything else is the subject of compromise," he said, with a wry smile.

Poroshenko, who served as the country’s fifth president, between 2014 and 2019, is one of Ukraine's most experienced voices when it comes to negotiating with Moscow. Elected after the Maidan revolution saw his pro-Kremlin predecessor ousted, he is credited with rebuilding Ukraine's armed forces after the annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas.

"We don't need anything from Russia. Just stop the war, stop killing Ukrainians, stop grabbing our territory, stop blackmailing us and get out," he said.