Dec. 12 (UPI) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the United States had put forward a plan for Ukrainian forces to pull out of areas of its Donetsk region that it still controls in favor of a “free economic zone” that Russian forces would not advance into.
The trade-off solution would see Ukraine give up the appoximately 30% of the province it currently holds, as demanded by Russia, but that territory would then become a special economic zone, referred to as a “demilitarized zone” by Moscow, Zelensky told reporters Thursday.
“They see that Ukrainian troops are leaving the territory of Donetsk Oblast, and the compromise seems to be that Russian troops will not enter this territory,” said Zelensky who stressed that any territorial concessions to end the war would have to be put to the Ukrainian people, either through elections or a referendum.
Zelensky also said both armies should withdraw by the same distance, arguing that a unilateral withdrawal by the Ukrainian side was not reasonable and would put Ukraine at a disadvantage.
“What will restrain [Russia] from advancing? Or from infiltrating, disguised as civilians?” he said.
Zelensky said these were “very serious concerns” that could yet derail the proposal, which he described as being part of ongoing U.S. efforts to find a quick off-ramp to the war that both Kyiv and Moscow could sign up to.
The back-and-forth diplomacy between the United States, Ukraine and its other allies was, Zelensky said, centered on three texts comprising a main 20-point framework peace agreement, security guarantees, and reconstruction.
His comments followed a high-level Ukraine-U.S.-virtual meeting on security guarantees on Thursday involving Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, two senior U.S. generals and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
In a post on X thanking the United States, Zelensky said its active engagement at all levels, not only in working to end the war but also in ensuring Ukraine’s security and preventing a new Russian invasion, reflected “the seriousness of America’s intentions and its clear focus on achieving outcomes.”
The documents, born from a 28-point plan drafted by the White House and the Kremlin and first floated by President Donald Trump in mid-November, follow weeks of revisions and fine-tuning with input from all parties, including European capitals.
Zelensky said Kyiv was focused on working with its partners, including Europe’s Coalition of the Willing, and the United States in particular, to come up with effective security guarantees.
“The U.S. said they want Ukraine to have realistic security guarantees this time, approved by Congress, so that we can feel them, so that we have weapons,” Zelensky said.
Regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on the left bank of the Dnipro River, which has been occupied by Russian forces since shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Zelensky said one solution might be a joint Ukrainian-American control.
“The final mile is the hardest. Everything could fall apart for many reasons,” said Zelensky, pointing out the contradiction between White House pressure for a speedy resolution to the conflict and Russia’s lack of interest, in his view, in ending the war.
Zelensky said the U.S.-side’s “quicker conclusion” did not have a deadline or involve an interim cease-fire, while the final deal was being hammered out.
Ukraine, which has been losing ground on the frontline and sustaining nightly airborne assaults on its cities, and in particular its energy infrastructure as the harsh eastern winter sets in, needs the fighting to stop to halt further erosion of its bargaining power.
“Much depends on our military — what they can hold, where they can stop the enemy, what they can destroy. This affects the entire configuration,” said Zelensky.
