“Russia will not agree to a cease-fire without such a deal,” Zelensky told reporters, adding that the United States shares this view after multiple talks with the Kremlin.
The proposed framework would include 20 foundational points covering post-war recovery, security guarantees, and other issues, with additional detailed documents to follow. Zelensky said Ukraine’s economic team is preparing multiple agreements, while a separate group will negotiate with the U.S. on binding security guarantees.
Zelensky expects the economic and security components to be signed in parallel, forming the basis for ending the war. The U.S. also seeks to include joint oversight of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, requiring a Russian military withdrawal from the site.
Regarding the Donbas region, Zelensky said its status should be decided by the Ukrainian people through elections or a referendum. He questioned a U.S. proposal that would have Ukrainian forces withdraw while Russian troops stay out, asking why the same withdrawal standard is not applied to both sides.
The American plan reportedly envisions Russian troop withdrawals from parts of the Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv regions, while front lines would remain unchanged in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. The Ukrainian Armed Forces would retain a strength of about 800,000 troops under the agreement, according to Zelensky.
He also confirmed that meaningful elections in Ukraine would require at least a temporary cease-fire to ensure security during the voting process.
Zelensky said constructive talks on security guarantees had recently taken place with U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, NATO commander Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
A high-level meeting in Paris between representatives of Ukraine, the U.S., France, Germany, and the U.K. is expected Saturday to continue discussions on the U.S. peace proposal, according to Axios.
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Source: PAP