Demands that Kiev withdraw troops from the part of Donbas it still controls continue to hinder progress in talks to reach a peace deal with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Peace talks are moving ahead rapidly and the United States is putting great pressure on a deal that would end Russia's nearly four-year war with Ukraine. The status of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which is controlled by Russia, is another issue that needs to be resolved, Zelensky told reporters on Thursday evening, after Ukraine held talks with European backers and U.S. officials.
He also added that a ceasefire would be necessary if elections were to be held soon. After the United States presented a 28-point peace plan that critics say was clearly biased toward Russia, Ukraine and European countries are seeking changes that would make the deal more balanced and, above all, ensure Ukraine’s defense against a future Russian attack. Kiev submitted a 20-point plan to the United States earlier this week. “We sent the American team a revised version of the framework document we worked on. It includes 20 key points. This could be the foundation for everything. I am waiting for an answer from America,” Zelensky told more than 30 leaders of the “coalition of the willing.” Why does Putin want the Ukrainian Donbas region at all costs? While Russia has shown little sign of being ready to give up on its long-standing demands, American and Ukrainian officials are working out the details.
Zelensky said he had held a "deep" discussion with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House special envoy Steve Witkoff. According to Zelensky, the US proposes withdrawing Ukrainian troops from the fortified part of the Donetsk region that it still controls, and "the compromise is, theoretically, that Russian troops will not enter" this area, where Washington wants to establish a "free economic zone".
“They don’t know who will govern this territory,” Zelensky said, adding that Russia calls it a “demilitarized zone.” He also added that Ukrainians should have a say in any proposed territorial concessions, “whether through elections or a referendum.” Following reports that US President Donald Trump had set a December 25 deadline for Ukraine to accept the peace proposal, Zelensky said that Kiev had not been given a firm deadline, but that “I think they really wanted, or maybe still want, to fully understand by Christmas where we stand with this agreement.”
Trump has sought to broker an end to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine since taking office in January, but has faced major setbacks, including Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to sign a ceasefire. Trump said the United States may or may not attend a planned meeting of top Ukrainian, French, German and British officials in Europe on Dec. 13. “We’ll see if we’re going to have the meeting,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We’ll have the meeting on Saturday in Europe if we think there’s a good chance. And we don’t want to waste too much time if we think it’s negative,” he added.
“The president is extremely angry with both sides of this war, and he’s tired of the face-to-face meetings,” White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt told reporters. Regarding the elections, which the U.S. is pushing Ukraine to hold despite the fact that they are prohibited by martial law, Zelensky said on December 11 that a ceasefire is needed for this. Trump told Politico in an interview published on December 9 that “it’s time” to hold the elections, and Zelensky said that same day – for the first time – that he would ask Parliament to draft legislation allowing elections to be held during martial law. He said the elections could be held within 60 to 90 days, provided there are security guarantees to ensure that the vote is safe for Ukrainians.
