Volodymyr Zelensky told the newspaper "Le Monde" that he does not rule out holding a referendum on the future of Ukrainian territories to end the war, but "it requires the will of the Ukrainian people."
…
According to the president of the country, Ukraine should not liberate all its territories by "force and weapons," because this option "costs us a lot of time and human lives." Zelensky added: – We can return our territories through diplomatic means.

This is another groundbreaking statement from the Ukrainian leader. On July 22, he said in an interview with the BBC that Ukraine is ready to negotiate the end of the war with Russia, even if Vladimir Putin leads the latter. According to the president of Ukraine, the most essential thing in this matter is a genuine desire for peace on terms consistent with international law.
…
He added that the "hot" stage of the war could end before the end of 2024, but the peace plan must be fully agreed with Ukraine's allies "so that no one plays with their own initiatives for ending the war."

It was and is doubtful that Zelenski really wants to make peace. In talks with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban he had pointed to a theory of victory over Russia. As Orban explained (machine translation):

According to Hungarian Prime Minister Orban, in reality Zelensky assumes that Russia will have to resort to general mobilization in the middle of next year. And this can lead to internal destabilization in the Russian Federation.

Therefore, Zelensky is confident that time is playing on the side of Ukraine in the war – as Orban wrote in a letter to EU leaders after meeting with the Ukrainian president. A source in diplomatic circles informed Strana about the existence of such a letter.

"As for the outcome of the war, the President of Ukraine is confident that the Russian armed forces will be forced to resort to general mobilization in the middle of next year, which will lead to internal destabilization. He believes that the Ukrainian forces are stable, prepared and able to maintain combat effectiveness even in the long term, if Western arms supplies continue. He believes that time is on the side of Ukraine, not on the side of Russia," the letter says.