Peace plans ready to be presented to Russia in days, says Zelenskyy | Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the proposals negotiated with US officials on a peace agreement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine could be finalized within a few days, and then American envoys would present them to the Kremlin.
After two days of talks in Berlin, US officials said on Monday that they had resolved “90%” of the problematic issues between Russia and Ukraine, but despite the positive trend, it is unclear whether the end of the war is any closer, especially since the Russian side is not involved in the current talks.
Early Tuesday morning, Ukraine’s president said the U.S. Congress was expected to vote on security guarantees and that final documents would be prepared “today or tomorrow.” He said that from now on, the United States will hold consultations with the Russians, followed by high-level meetings that could take place as soon as this weekend.
“We rely on five documents. Some of them relate to security guarantees: they are legally binding, that is, they were voted on and approved by the US Congress,” he told reporters via WhatsApp. He said the guarantees would “reflect Article 5” of NATO.
U.S. officials on Monday declined to provide details about what the security package would likely include and what would happen if Russia tries to seize more territory after a peace deal is reached. However, they confirmed that the United States does not plan to send troops to Ukraine.
The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and eight other European countries said in a joint statement that troops from the “coalition of the willing” could “help replenish Ukrainian forces, secure Ukrainian skies and support safer seas, including operating within Ukraine.”
But they have stopped short of suggesting that these would be guarantees compatible with NATO’s Article 5, and in any case there is little sign that Russia is close to agreeing to the kind of package being discussed between Washington and Kiev.
On Tuesday, the Kremlin said it had not seen details of the proposals for security guarantees. “We have seen newspaper reports so far, but we will not respond to them. We have not seen any texts yet,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Peskov added that Moscow, which in the past has demanded from Kiev the return of lands that Russia claims belong to it and has excluded the presence of any foreign troops in Ukraine, has not changed its stance on the conflict and the achievement of its military goals.
“Our position is well known. It is consistent, transparent and clear to Americans. And generally clear to Ukrainians,” Peskov said.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Russia would “under no circumstances” accept troops from NATO countries operating in Ukraine. It was unclear whether this formulation included troops from non-NATO countries operating under a separate command.
Peace is closer than at any time since the beginning of Russia’s all-out invasion, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday. But European officials say privately that at this stage the talks are aimed at supporting the Trump White House in supporting Ukraine rather than reaching a permanent agreement between Moscow and Kiev.
The main disagreement between the Ukrainian team and US negotiators remains the land issue. While Trump wants Ukraine to give up the parts of the Donbas region it still holds, Ukraine also wants to freeze the lines at the current point of contact. Speaking after the Berlin talks, Zelenskyy said, “We are discussing the land issue. You know that this is one of the most important issues. At this point, there is no consensus on this issue yet.”
The US negotiating team, led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, proposed a compromise solution in which Ukraine would withdraw, but Russia would not advance, and the demilitarized zone would become a “free economic zone”. Russia has hinted that they still expect to control the region, suggesting that they may use police and national guard units instead of the army.
Zelenskyy said, “I want to emphasize once again: ‘Free economic zone’ does not mean being under Russian control. We will not recognize the temporarily occupied Donbas as Russian, neither legally nor de facto. Absolutely.”
It is unclear how the two sides will proceed on the land issue; Zelenskyy had previously suggested that a compromise solution such as a free economic zone would be theoretically possible if the Ukrainian people voted in a referendum. The critical hurdle is likely to arise if the plans are presented to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has shown no sign of being willing to compromise his war goals.
“If Putin rejects everything, we will experience exactly the same thing we are experiencing on our plane right now: turbulence,” said Zelenskyy, who recorded the comments after his plane took off from Berlin to the Netherlands for a series of meetings on Tuesday.
“I believe that if the US rejects everything, they will apply sanctions pressure and provide us with more weapons. I think that would be a fair request to the Americans,” he said.
