File photo: Ukraine’s President Zelensky
KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine told reporters on Tuesday that he was ready to pull his troops back from areas of the eastern Donetsk region still under Kyiv’s control and turn them into a demilitarized zone as part of a possible peace deal with Moscow. The offer was the closest Zelensky has come to addressing the thorny territorial disputes in Donetsk that have repeatedly derailed peace talks, signalling his willingness to compromise after weeks of US-mediated negotiations.
But the proposal also hinted at the significant gaps that remain between Ukraine and Russia. Zelensky’s offer of a demilitarized zone came with a condition: Russia would have to pull its forces from an equivalent stretch of land in Donetsk. So far, the Kremlin has given no indication that it is willing to accept anything less than full control over the region.The proposal forms part of a revised 20-point peace plan that was drawn up by Ukraine and the US in the past few weeks and that Zelensky presented to reporters in Kyiv on Tuesday. The blueprint covers a broad range of issues, from potential territorial arrangements to the security guarantees Ukraine wants to prevent future Russian aggression, as well as plans to rebuild the war-ravaged nation. Zelensky portrayed the plan as Ukraine’s best effort to end the war and said it was now up to Russia to decide how to respond. The Ukrainian leader said the various points in the plan “largely reflect the joint Ukrainian American position.” But Ukraine and Washington did not reach an agreement on two sticking points: the fate of Ukrainian-held territory in Donetsk and control of a major nuclear plant currently occupied by Russia. On the second point, Ukraine offered to manage the plant jointly with the US as a form of compromise.Ukraine’s proposed concessions, even if accepted in full by the US, are likely to be rejected by Moscow. The Kremlin has insisted that its primary goal is a full military takeover of Donetsk and has dismissed any notion of returning the nuclear plant to Ukrainian control. The Kremlin said President Putin had been briefed about the negotiations. “We aim to formulate our future stance and resume our contacts shortly,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday. Zelensky voiced cautious optimism that Moscow would not openly rebuff the new proposal for fear of angering President Trump.
