Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said a new 20-point plan aimed at ending Russia’s invasion would freeze the current front line and open the way to possible troop withdrawals and demilitarized zones, while dropping a requirement that Kyiv legally renounce its NATO aspirations.
Zelensky said the latest draft, agreed by U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators, is now being reviewed by Russia. He acknowledged some provisions are unpalatable to him and warned that the Kremlin is unlikely to abandon its hardline territorial demands.
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“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,” Zelensky said, sharing details during a briefing in Kyiv. He added that “a working group will convene to determine the redeployment of forces necessary to end the conflict, as well as to define the parameters of potential future special economic zones.”
The structure suggests a phased approach: lock in the existing line of contact, then negotiate pullbacks and the contours of demilitarized and special economic areas. It appears, Zelensky indicated, to differ from an earlier 28-point U.S. proposal seen as closer to Moscow’s core demands.
Kyiv had long resisted steps that could codify Russian gains or limit its military options. The new framework seems to delay—yet not foreclose—moves such as Ukrainian withdrawals or the creation of demilitarized zones, positioning them as outcomes to be defined by a joint working group rather than immediate concessions.
“We are in a situation where the Russians want us to withdraw from the Donetsk region, while the Americans are trying to find a way,” Zelensky said. “They are looking for a demilitarised zone or a free economic zone, meaning a format that could satisfy both sides.”
One option under discussion is an arrangement around Energodar, the city occupied by Russian forces that oversees the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Kyiv has suggested the area could be designated a demilitarized zone as part of broader safety and stabilization measures.
Zelensky said any plan that involves Ukraine pulling back its troops—or establishing a special economic zone—would require public approval. “A free economic zone. If we are discussing this, then we need to go to a referendum,” he said, signaling that politically sensitive tradeoffs would be put to voters.
On NATO, Zelensky said the latest draft drops a demand that Ukraine legally renounce its membership bid. Washington has long said Ukraine’s entry is not imminent, but the removal of a legal renunciation clause preserves Kyiv’s long-term aspirations, even as security guarantees remain a central unresolved issue.
The nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia remains a flashpoint. The plan envisions joint U.S.-Ukrainian-Russian management of the facility, according to Zelensky, who made clear he opposes any Russian role in overseeing it. The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned of the risks surrounding the site, which sits near the front and has changed hands early in the war.
Zelensky also said Ukraine would hold presidential elections only after an agreement is signed, underscoring how wartime governance and security conditions have complicated the country’s political calendar.
While the Kremlin’s formal response is pending, Kyiv’s public airing of key elements underscores a pivot toward a pragmatic, staged cease-fire blueprint that prioritizes freezing the battlefield and reducing immediate risks, while deferring the most contested questions to negotiated mechanisms and, potentially, national referendums.
Read more: Ukraine war in 2025: Talks, setbacks and more war
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
