Ukraine has secured some concessions in a U.S.-led draft plan aimed at ending the Russian invasion, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, though significant questions remain regarding territory and the potential for Russian acceptance of the terms.
Ukraine-Russia Peace Plan Details
The 20-point plan, negotiated between U.S. and Ukrainian officials, is currently under review by Moscow, though the Kremlin is unlikely to concede on its demands for a full Ukrainian withdrawal from the east.
Zelenskyy stated that Kyiv successfully removed requirements for an immediate Ukrainian withdrawal from the Donetsk region and the recognition of land seized by Russian forces as Russian territory. However, he acknowledged some points in the document remain unfavorable.
The proposal may pave the way for Ukraine to pull back troops, including from the 20 percent of the Donetsk region it controls, with the establishment of demilitarized zones. It also removes a demand that Kyiv legally renounce its bid for NATO membership.
“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,” Zelenskyy said.
A working group will be formed to determine necessary force redeployment to end the conflict and define potential future special economic zones.
Zelenskyy described a situation where Russia seeks Ukrainian withdrawal from the Donetsk region, while the U.S. is attempting to find a compromise through demilitarized or free economic zones.
Ongoing Conflict and Russian Position
U.S. President Trump is attempting to broker a deal to end the four-year war, which began with Russia’s 2022 invasion. Tens of thousands have been killed, eastern Ukraine has been devastated, and millions have been displaced.
Russian forces are advancing and continuing nightly missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure. The defense ministry reported capturing another settlement in the Zaporizhzhia region on Wednesday (Dec 24).
Moscow claimed to have annexed the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, and Zaporizhzhia in 2022, in addition to Crimea, which was seized in 2014.
President Vladimir Putin has shown no willingness to compromise, maintaining demands for a sweeping Ukrainian withdrawal and political concessions that have been rejected by Kyiv and its European allies.
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