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Donald Trump is pushing Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the Donbas region to create a “free economic zone” in the parts of eastern Ukraine now held by Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday.
Early drafts of the US’s 28-point plan for peace in Ukraine had called for a “neutral, demilitarised buffer zone” to be created following the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the area of Donetsk province.
Under the initial plan circulated last month, the zone would be “internationally recognised as territory belonging to the Russian Federation”.
But now Trump and his negotiating team have suggested a compromise, said Zelenskyy. “They see Ukrainian forces leaving the territory of Donetsk region, and the supposed compromise is that Russian forces do not enter this territory,” Zelenskyy said.
“Who will govern this territory, which they call a ‘free economic zone’ or a “demilitarised zone’ — they do not know . . . This is roughly how the compromise vision of the United States of America looks today.”
He said that requiring the Ukrainians to withdraw without strong, US-backed security guarantees would be unfair, with nothing preventing the Russian side from advancing into the area.
“It is probably fair to ask: if one side withdraws from somewhere, as [the US] wants from Ukraine, then why does the other side in the war not withdraw the same distance in the other direction?” the president asked. “All of this still leaves a great many questions.”
Discussions were ongoing, he said. “It is not a given that we as Ukraine will accept this, but when you talk to us about a compromise, you have to offer a fair compromise.”
Zelenskyy said on Thursday evening in Kyiv that he and his senior advisers and negotiating team had also held “a constructive and in-depth conversation” about security guarantees with US secretary of state Marco Rubio, defence secretary Pete Hegseth, special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, US generals and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte.
Speaking to reporters, Zelenskyy also floated the idea of putting the question of territorial concessions to a national referendum.
“I believe that this is a question that the people of Ukraine must answer,” he said. “Either in the format of elections or in the format of a referendum, but there must be a position of the Ukrainian people.”
As Trump and his peace negotiators dial up pressure to solve the years-long war, Russia’s Vladimir Putin has stuck to his maximalist demands including a full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the eastern Donbas.
That would mean Kyiv handing over its most heavily fortified area of the frontline — known as its “fortress belt” — that Moscow’s forces have failed to capture by force in 11 years.
While Zelenskyy has engaged with the latest US proposal, he has highlighted that under Ukraine’s constitution, the president does not have the ability to decide on conceding land.
“Our position in the plan is it is fair when we stand where we stand now . . . along the line of contact,” Zelenskyy said on Thursday, reiterating his position that negotiations should be based on the current location of the frontline. Trump himself had earlier supported that idea.
Zelenskyy said, “The discussion that is now ongoing [between the US and Ukraine and European partners] is between these differing positions, and this is not yet settled.”
During an online meeting on Thursday, Zelenskyy discussed the effect of co-ordinated sanctions and enforcement on Moscow’s war effort, as well as the progress made on mobilising Russia’s frozen assets, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
“The leaders agreed on the importance of continuing to fund military support,” a spokesperson for Starmer said, adding: “The UK would continue to work closely with partners to maintain pressure on Russia and provide Ukraine with the support it needs for as long as it takes.”
The Ukrainian president said Trump had not given him a hard deadline to sign up to his peace proposal, but he added: “I think they really wanted, and maybe still want, to have a full understanding of where we are with this agreement by Christmas.” He added: “For us, the result is what matters.”
The Americans were also seeking a joint format for managing the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is under the control of Russian forces, said Zelenskyy.
Russia has yet to give any indication that it would accept the current iteration of the US-led peace plan.
Additional reporting by David Sheppard
