NEWSMAX -- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday he would consider a ceasefire deal to end the “hot phase of the war” against Russia in exchange for NATO membership of unoccupied territories, saying the occupied territories could be returned later diplomatically.

In an interview with Sky News, Zelenskyy said it’s a scenario that could work provided the NATO invitation recognizes Ukraine’s internationally accepted borders.

"If we want to stop the hot phase of the war, we need to take under the NATO umbrella the territory of Ukraine that we have under our control," Zelenskyy told Sky News. “We need to do it fast. And then on the [occupied] territory of Ukraine, Ukraine can get them back in a diplomatic way."