Zelensky proposed demilitarized zone in eastern Ukraine as way to peace

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be willing to pull troops out of the eastern region of Donetsk and create a demilitarized free economic zone as part of a potential peace deal, provided Russia took similar steps to withdraw from areas it controls.

Zelensky said the proposal and other aspects of a 20-point plan would be put to a referendum.The territorial dispute across the Donbas, the eastern flank of Ukraine where some of the heaviest fighting is raging, is one of the chief sticking points in the latest version of a plan to end the conflict drafted with the S Kyiv worries that surrendering fortified positions in the area could make it easier for Russia to stage further attacks.

Several attempts have already been made to break the impasse, but to no avail. Other difficult issues include control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, currently occupied by Russia.

Zelensky said Kyiv is now mostly aligned with Washington on the plan, but that Ukraine says a meeting with President Trump is needed to iron out some of the elements. He said he was also ready to explain Ukraine’s position to the Russian side as well.

“We are ready for a meeting with the United States at the leaders’ level to address sensitive issues. Matters such as territorial questions must be discussed at the leaders’ level,” Zelensky said. 

Russia wants Ukraine to withdraw from territories in the Donetsk region as part of a deal to end the war, but Kyiv previously said it has no moral right or constitutional leeway to give up Ukrainian territory. The US is looking for a compromise in creating a “free economic zone” in the area.

Zelensky said the fairest option would be to start talks with Russia based on the current front line—not a forced withdrawal—and said if Ukrainian troops withdraw from the area, Russia should also agree to pull back its troops. 

If the 20-point plan entails establishing free economic zones, Ukrainian people will have the last word through a vote on the entire deal, he said. “Only a referendum can determine whether people agree to such a path, if the proposal for Ukraine is…either this or war,” Zelensky told journalists.

If Ukrainian people back the proposal, a separate agreement would be needed to define how such a zone would function and who would govern it, Zelensky said. Kyiv would expect to administer areas from which its forces withdraw, he added.

Kyiv has previously warned of possible Russian infiltration of any potential demilitarized area. The Ukrainian leader said international forces would need to have an on-the-ground presence to guarantee monitoring of the agreement within the zone.

Zelensky said control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, could also be resolved through creating an economic zone in southern Ukraine if Russia agrees to withdraw troops from the site and surrounding area.

Ukraine wants to manage the plant in cooperation with the US. Washington is proposing a three-sided arrangement including Russia, with the Americans acting as the chief manager of the joint enterprise. No consensus has yet been reached on this point, Zelensky said.

Zelensky didn’t specify the security guarantees that would be extended to Ukraine as part of a deal. The country has been discussing the issue with the U.S. and European nations, and Zelensky has said the form they take will be crucial in agreeing to any deal, and could include how it is enforced and how other nations would respond to a fresh Russian attack.

The overarching goal of any agreement, he said, would be to secure peace and revive the Ukrainian economy while deterring any further acts of aggression. “That is how they see it in the United States. And that is exactly what we are saying: reliable security guarantees, a reliable agreement, and reliable recovery,” he said.