Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the United States had proposed that Ukraine withdraw from the eastern Donetsk region and create a “special economic zone” in the area it currently controls.
Zelensky said the territory and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain two major unresolved issues in the proposed Ukraine peace plan.
Prime Minister Zelenskyy soberly briefed reporters, citing Washington’s desire to end the conflict quickly, the complex nature of the ongoing negotiations and his belief that Russia has no intention of stopping the war.
Ukraine sent the United States an updated 20-point plan and a separate document on security guarantees and provisions for Ukraine’s reconstruction, Zelenskyy said.
This follows weeks of high-level diplomatic activity in which U.S., Ukrainian, Russian and European leaders drafted, coordinated and revised several peace plans.
“The last mile is the hardest. Everything can fall apart for a variety of reasons,” Zelensky said Thursday.
Russia is demanding that Ukraine give up control of about 30% of the eastern Donetsk region it currently holds. Ukraine rejected it, both on principle and out of fear that it would set the stage for future aggression by Moscow.
According to Zelensky, the United States is currently planning a plan for Ukrainian troops to withdraw from parts of Donetsk and for Russian troops to not advance into Donetsk territory. Zelensky said the area would become a “special economic zone” or “demilitarized zone.”
But he pointed out that it would not be fair for Ukraine to withdraw unilaterally and that Russia should also withdraw by the same distance.
“What will stop (Russia’s) advance? Or what will stop them from infiltrating disguised as civilians?” he asked.
Zelensky said this was a “very serious concern” and that Ukraine may not accept the proposal at all, despite opening the door to elections or referendums to give Ukrainians a choice.
But he acknowledged that fighting will continue and the future of negotiations may be decided. “A lot depends on our military. What we can hold, where we can stop the enemy, and what we can destroy affects our overall composition.”
Management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is another very controversial issue, Zelensky said.
Europe’s largest power plant is located on the front line and has been under Russian control since March 2022.
Zelensky said a possible solution would be for Russia to withdraw and for Kiev to share control of the plant with the United States. But he acknowledged that the details of such an agreement were still unclear and it was doubtful Moscow would agree.
U.S. President Donald Trump appears frustrated by the complexities of the conflict, and Kiev and its allies worry that the Americans may end up forcing a Russian-led solution on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy told reporters that the Americans wanted a “quick conclusion” to the war, but that there was no deadline for an agreement.
Ukraine, which has been the target of widespread airstrikes almost nightly, has been pushing for a temporary ceasefire and will want to see an immediate ceasefire implemented before a more difficult agreement takes shape.
But Russia has more to gain by delaying the ceasefire. Russian troops are making small but gradual gains on the front lines, as their attacks exhaust the Ukrainian people.
Zelenskyy said that “after several rounds of talks with Russia,” the United States was now allied with Moscow on this position.
Kremlin officials are quieter than their European, American and Ukrainian counterparts.
But whenever possible, Russia has sought to cement the impression that Moscow and Washington remain hopeful about the terms of a peace agreement.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday that “misunderstandings” between the two sides had been “eliminated” during talks between President Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkov at the Kremlin.
The foreign minister also dismissed suggestions that Ukraine could provide security guarantees to Kiev in the form of stationing foreign troops.
“This is another return to the sad logic of Zelenskyy’s so-called peace formula,” Lavrov said, adding that Russia had delivered “additional” proposals to the United States on collective security and that Russia was ready to provide legal guarantees not to attack NATO or EU countries.
But given Russia’s previous violations of ceasefires and ceasefire agreements, neither Ukraine nor Europe will take Moscow’s promises at face value.
European and Ukrainian officials want the United States to participate in security guarantees to prevent Kiev from becoming a target of new attacks.
Zelenskyy said he had received a draft proposal on security guarantees from the United States, but that the draft was still a work in progress and that what the United States had proposed fell short of provisions that could allay Kiev’s concerns.
“The United States does not want Ukraine to join NATO. They say this publicly. So I think they have no difficulty discussing NATO with Russia,” Zelensky said.
Zelenskyy also added that Ukraine “must be cautious.” “We don’t know what other agreements the United States will reach with Russia. We will find out in time.”
The Ukrainian president also acknowledged that U.S. support for Kiev, in terms of intelligence sharing and the flow of weapons sold by the U.S. through other countries, could end at some point.
Reflecting the difficult nature of the talks and his skepticism that Russia was negotiating in good faith, Prime Minister Zelensky told reporters: “Nobody knows what will happen the day after tomorrow… We don’t know how these negotiations will end.”
