Ukraine peace plan: Zelensky says proposals to end the war could be presented to Russia within days

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says proposals being negotiated with US officials for a deal to end the fighting in Russia’s nearly four-year-old invasion of his country could be finalized within days, after which American envoys will present them to the Kremlin before possible further meetings in the US next weekend.

A draft peace plan discussed with the US during talks in Berlin on Monday is “not perfect” but is “very workable,” Mr Zelensky told reporters hours after the discussions. He cautioned, however, that some key issues — notably what happens to Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces — remain unresolved.

US-led peace efforts appear to be picking up momentum. But as the spotlight shifts to Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin may balk at some of the proposals thrashed out by officials from Washington, Kyiv and Western Europe, including postwar security guarantees for Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky said that after the Berlin talks, “we are very close to (a deal on) strong security guarantees.”

The security proposal will be based on Western help in keeping the Ukrainian army strong, an official from a NATO nation said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

“Europeans will lead a multinational and multi-domain force to strengthen those troops and to secure Ukraine from the land, sea and air, and the US will lead a ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism, with international participation,” the official said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Tuesday that Russia wants a comprehensive peace deal, not a temporary truce.

If Ukraine seeks “momentary, unsustainable solutions, we are unlikely to be ready to participate,” he said.

“We want peace — we don’t want a truce that would give Ukraine a respite and prepare for the continuation of the war,” he told reporters. “We want to stop this war, achieve our goals, secure our interests, and guarantee peace in Europe for the future.”

American officials said Monday there’s consensus from Ukraine and Europe on about 90 per cent of the US-authored peace plan. US President Donald Trump said: “I think we’re closer now than we have been, ever” to a peace settlement.

Plenty of potential pitfalls remain, notably the land issue.

Mr Zelensky reiterated that Kyiv rules out recognizing Moscow’s control over any part of the Donbas, an economically important region in eastern Ukraine made up of Luhansk and Donetsk. Russia’s army doesn’t fully control either but Mr Trump has previously indicated that Ukraine will have to cede territory.

“The Americans are trying to find a compromise,” Mr Zelensky said, before visiting the Netherlands on Tuesday. “They are proposing a ‘free economic zone’ (in the Donbas). And I want to stress once again: a ‘free economic zone’ does not mean under the control of the Russian Federation.”

Mr Putin wants all the areas in four key regions that his forces have seized, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory.

Mr Zelensky warned that if Mr Putin rejects diplomatic efforts, Ukraine expects increased Western pressure on Moscow, including tougher sanctions and additional military support for defence, such as enhanced air defence systems and long-range weapons.

Mr Zelensky said that what’s driving Kyiv officials in the negotiations is for Russia to be “held accountable for what it has done — for this war, for all the killings, for all the suffering.”

Ukraine and the US are preparing up to five documents related to the peace framework, several of them focused on security, Mr Zelensky said.

He was upbeat about the progress in the Berlin talks.

“Overall, there was a demonstration of unity,” Mr Zelensky said. “It was truly positive in the sense that it reflected the unity of the US, Europe, and Ukraine.”