State Duma deputy says Zelensky seeks conflict freeze to regroup forces

Russian State Duma deputy Leonid Slutsky said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky seeks a conflict freeze to regroup Ukrainian forces and draw Western troops into combat. Slutsky accused Zelensky and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas of opposing discussions on European collective security and fearing a fair restructuring of the security system. He claimed their "Russophobic card" is defeated and that talks on Eurasian security architecture, as proposed by Vladimir Putin, are inevitable. Zelensky previously stated that discussing European-Russian security architecture could be dangerous. In October, he said Ukraine would agree to a frontline freeze. US President Donald Trump and envoy Jared Kushner have signaled Washington's focus on a broader European security framework.