Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is prepared to consider pulling Ukrainian forces back from portions of the eastern Donetsk region that remain under Kyiv’s control, as part of potential peace terms that could include a demilitarized zone.
Why It Matters
Disputes over territory have repeatedly derailed U.S.-backed efforts to move peace talks forward since President Donald Trump began his second term. Zelensky’s remarks suggest the grinding negotiations may be producing at least limited movement toward an agreement to end Europe’s largest land war in decades—though major hurdles remain before any final deal is signed.
What To Know
Speaking with reporters Tuesday, Zelensky said one possible framework could create a “free economic zone” inside demilitarized areas of eastern Ukraine, according to local media. Under that concept, Russia would also be expected to withdraw from parts of the east—something Moscow has not signaled it is willing to do.
Ukrainian leaders would submit such an arrangement to a public vote, local reports said. Zelensky also outlined a second option that would effectively freeze the war along the four mainland regions Russia claims to have annexed, with international forces monitoring the line.
Russia says it has annexed Donetsk and Luhansk in the east—together known as the Donbas—along with the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Moscow also seized Crimea in 2014. Russia has refused to relinquish claims to these territories, while Ukraine has consistently vowed to restore its full territorial integrity and argues that formally ceding land would violate its constitution.
Russia controls most of Donetsk, though Ukraine still holds portions of the region after years of intense fighting. The Kremlin has said it would take the remaining areas by force if necessary, even as analysts warn that doing so could take years.
Talks have also been complicated by other unresolved questions, including the size of Ukraine’s military and the future of key infrastructure. Zelensky said Ukrainian negotiators had “not reached consensus” with the U.S. on Donetsk or on who would oversee the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant—Europe’s largest nuclear facility, occupied by Russia since the early months of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
“But we have significantly aligned most positions,” Zelensky said.
On Tuesday, Zelensky presented a revised 20-point peace plan to the media and said Ukrainian negotiators expected a response from Russian officials later Wednesday.
A Ukrainian delegation has been in Florida in recent days, and Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff described the latest discussions on Sunday as “productive and constructive.”
“We sense that America wants to reach a final agreement, and from our side, there is full cooperation,” Zelensky said in his evening address Tuesday.
Territory remains “the most difficult point” in the draft, Zelensky told reporters, according to The Associated Press. He also said earlier this month that the U.S. had proposed “free economic zones” as a way to break the stalemate over land.
Ukrainian media reports say the current draft includes commitments tied to sovereignty, the country’s path toward European Union membership, and “Article 5-like” security guarantees from the U.S., NATO, and European signatories. Ukraine has argued that NATO membership is the most reliable way to prevent a renewed Russian offensive, while Moscow has insisted NATO entry is off the table. NATO’s Article 5 treats an attack on one member as an attack on all.
The draft also reportedly addresses post-war reconstruction and the holding of elections.
An earlier 28-point U.S. proposal circulated last month triggered immediate concern in Kyiv and among allies, with critics arguing it appeared to reward Russia at Ukraine’s expense. U.S. officials denied that Moscow had authored the terms.
Russia-Ukraine war – 12/23/2025
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What People Are Saying
“We are working actively and doing everything necessary to ensure that the documents come to fruition and that they are realistic,” Zelensky said in his evening address Tuesday.
