An end to the war between Russia and Ukraine is one step closer, Volodymyr Zelensky has said, as the US and Ukraine agreed on several critical issues in the peace plan.
Several serious issues, including control over eastern Ukraine and the management of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, still need to be addressed.
Zelensky shared each point of the plan with journalists, showing Ukraine’s wishes and touching on commercial interests to safeguard security while boosting economic potential.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow will respond based on information received by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who met US envoys in Florida over the weekend.
Arguments over the Donbas
At the heart of the negotiations lies the contentious territorial dispute concerning the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, known as the Donbas.
This is the most ‘difficult point’, Zelensky said, and that these matters will be discussed at the leaders’ level.
Russia continues to assert maximalist demands, insisting that Ukraine relinquish the remaining territory in Donetsk that it has not captured – an ultimatum that Ukraine has rejected.
Russia has captured most of Luhansk and about 70% of Donetsk.
In a bid to facilitate compromise, the United States has proposed transforming these areas into free economic zones.
Ukraine insists that any arrangement must be contingent upon a referendum, allowing the Ukrainian people to determine their own fate.
Ukraine is demanding the demilitarisation of the area and the presence of an international force to ensure stability, Zelensky said.
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
How the Zaporizhzhia plant, which is under Russian occupation, will be managed is another contentious issue. The US is proposing a solution with Ukraine and Russia, with each country having an equal stake in the enterprise.
‘We did not reach a consensus with the American side on the territory of the Donetsk region and on the ZNPP,’ Zelensky said.
‘But we have significantly brought most of the positions closer together. In principle, all other consents in this agreement have been found between them.’
Point 14 of the 20-point plan, which covers territories that cut across the eastern front line, and Point 12, which discusses management of the Zaporizhzhia plant, will likely be major sticking points in the talks.
‘We are in a situation where the Russians want us to leave the Donetsk region, and the Americans are trying to find a way so that it is ‘not a way out’ – because we are against leaving – they want to find a demilitarised zone or a free economic zone in this, that is, a format that can provide for the views of both sides,’ Zelensky added.
More difficult discussions would require hammering out how far troops would be required to move back and where international forces would be stationed.
Zelenskyy said: ‘Ultimately, people can choose: this ending suits us or not.’
Withdrawal of Russian troops from the east
The draft also proposes that Russian forces withdraw from Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy and Kharkiv regions, and that international forces be located along the contact line to monitor the implementation of the agreement.
But Zelensky said there is ‘no faith in the Russians’, citing instances of the troops repeatedly breaking promises.
‘International forces should be there to guarantee that no one will enter there under any guise – neither ‘little green men’ nor Russian military disguised as civilians,’ Zelensky said.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
