Ukraine’s Zelensky reveals a 20-point peace plan that would freeze the front line, potentially leading to troop withdrawals and demilitarised zones.
KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky has detailed a 20-point plan to end Russia’s invasion, which would freeze the current front line. He stated the plan could pave the way for Ukrainian troop withdrawals and the creation of demilitarised zones.
The plan, agreed by US and Ukrainian negotiators, is now under review by Moscow. Zelensky conceded there are points in the document he does not like, with the Kremlin unlikely to abandon its hardline territorial demands.
Kyiv appears to have shifted the plan from an original 28-point US proposal that adhered to many Russian demands. The earlier version demanded Ukraine withdraw from the 20% of Donetsk region it still controls and recognise occupied land as Russian territory.
A requirement for Kyiv to legally renounce its NATO bid has been dropped from the latest plan. The United States has long stated it would not admit Ukraine to the alliance.
“In the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, the line of troop deployment as of the date of this agreement is de facto recognised as the line of contact,” Zelensky said.
“A working group will convene to determine the redeployment of forces necessary to end the conflict, as well as to define the parameters of potential future special economic zones,” he added.
Zelensky shared the plan’s details with journalists in Kyiv, suggesting it delays options Ukraine was previously reluctant to consider. These options include troop withdrawals and the creation of demilitarised zones.
“We are in a situation where the Russians want us to withdraw from the Donetsk region, while the Americans are trying to find a way,” Zelensky said.
“They are looking for a demilitarised zone or a free economic zone, meaning a format that could satisfy both sides,” he continued.
Ukraine suggested Energodar, the city managing the occupied Zaporizhzhia power plant, could become a demilitarised zone. Zelensky said any plan involving a Ukrainian troop pullback would need to pass a national referendum.
“A free economic zone. If we are discussing this, then we need to go to a referendum,” Zelensky stated.
The plan proposes joint US-Ukrainian-Russian management of the Zaporizhzhia plant. Zelensky said he does not want any Russian oversight of the facility.
He also confirmed Ukraine would hold presidential elections only after a final agreement is signed.