The United States wants Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the Donbass region, and Washington would then create a “free economic zone” in the regions currently controlled by kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Previously, the United States had suggested that kyiv cede to Russia areas of Donbass that it still controlled, but Ukraine’s president said on Thursday that Washington had now proposed a compromise version in which Ukrainian troops would withdraw, but Russian troops would not advance into the territory.
“Who will govern this territory, which they call ‘free economic zone’ or ‘demilitarized zone,’ they do not know,” the Ukrainian president told reporters in kyiv.
Zelensky says Ukraine does not believe the plan is fair without a guarantee that Russian troops will not simply retake the area after Ukraine withdraws.
“If the troops of one side have to withdraw and those of the other side stay there, what will stop these other troops, the Russian ones, from disguising themselves as civilians and taking over this free economic zone? This is all very serious. It is not certain that Ukraine will accept it, but if we are talking about a compromise, it must be a fair compromise,” he said.
Elections or referendum to ratify an agreement
Zelensky said that if Ukraine agreed to such a plan, elections or a referendum would be necessary to ratify it, since only “the Ukrainian people” can make decisions regarding territorial concessions.
Under current US plans, according to Zelensky, Ukraine would withdraw from Donbass, where Russia is advancing, while the front lines would be frozen in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Russia would give up some small enclaves it controls in other regions.
Zelensky came under enormous pressure from Donald Trump to sign the US peace plan. In recent days, Trump has attacked the Ukrainian leader, saying he “didn’t even read” the draft peace plan and suggesting it lacked legitimacy and that Ukraine should hold elections.
Zelensky explained that the Ukrainian negotiating team sent its revised plan to Washington on Wednesday and that the issues of territory and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant are two of the sticking points that remain to be resolved. “It’s not the final plan, it’s a reaction to what we’ve been given… The plan is constantly being worked on and edited, and it’s an ongoing process that’s always ongoing,” he says.
If Washington and kyiv reach an agreement, the big question remains whether Vladimir Putin is actually willing to sign a deal or if he is just buying time with fake negotiations and hopes to continue his military advance through the winter.
More meetings
In Berlin, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Thursday that if Putin is allowed to do what he wants in Ukraine, the prospect of war in Europe would become more real, and he warned that the continent has been “quietly complacent” in the face of the Russian threat.
Rutte suggested that Russia could start a new war in the next five years, which could be “on the same scale as the war that our grandfathers and great-grandfathers suffered.” He made a now-usual appeal to all European countries to increase their defense spending. “Many believe that time is on our side. This is not the case. It is time to act,” he said.
Rutte is among European politicians who have worked hard to keep the Trump administration on his side when it comes to Ukraine policy, with the U.S. president appearing increasingly impatient with the lack of a peace deal.
This Thursday afternoon, Zelensky held a video conference with around thirty leaders of the “coalition of countries of good will” which support Ukraine, but without Trump.
There is a growing sense in some European capitals that Ukraine will have to make painful concessions as the country enters its fourth winter of large-scale war, with a difficult situation on the front line and huge energy problems caused by Russia’s repeated attacks on energy infrastructure.
However, leaders of France, Britain and Germany, who met Zelensky on Monday at Downing Street, insist that only Ukraine can decide on territorial issues. “It would be a mistake to force the Ukrainian president to accept a peace that his people will not accept after four years of suffering and death,” said Friedrich Merz, German chancellor.
An agreement and two documents
Zelensky says that in addition to the general framework agreement, Ukraine hopes to sign two separate documents in the coming days, one on possible security guarantees that would come into effect if Russia attacks Ukraine again and the other on Ukraine’s economic recovery.
Also on Thursday, senior EU officials met in Lviv, western Ukraine, to discuss Ukraine’s membership prospects, even as pro-Russian Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán continues to block formal negotiations.
All other EU members support Ukraine’s membership, and their representatives have said they are willing to accept Ukraine anyway, provided the country can make progress in harmonizing its laws and practices with EU regulations. “Ukraine will become a member of the EU and no one will be able to stop it,” EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said during the negotiations.
Zelensky said he hoped Trump would put pressure on Hungary and any other EU countries that might block Ukraine. “We all understand that the President of the United States has several levers of influence, and these will work with those currently blocking Ukraine.”
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