Zelenskyy Calls for Trump Meeting to Work Out Peace Plan Territory Issues

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Dec. 24 called for a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump to work out snags in a potential peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow, chief among them the issue of territory.

Zelenskyy’s Christmas Eve plea followed his briefing to news outlets, including Ukrainian national news agency Ukrinform and Reuters, on the latest version of the plan to end the conflict, which has been whittled down from 28 to 20 points.

This draft was worked out during negotiations in Miami over the weekend with representatives from Washington.

“This is a document referred to as a framework—a foundational document on ending the war, a political document between us, America, Europe, and the Russians,” Zelenskyy said.

“We are ready for a meeting with the United States at the leaders’ level to address sensitive issues. Matters such as territorial questions must be discussed at the leaders’ level.”

Kyiv has been pushing for modifications to a draft peace plan that became public last month, which would see Ukraine cede more territory, renounce future military alliances, and accept limitations to its armed forces, moves that Zelenskyy’s government says would leave it defenseless against potential future aggression from Moscow.

Zelenskyy said this latest 20-point framework draft was a considerable evolution compared with the 28-point plan discussed earlier by the United States and Russia.

He emphasized that the draft largely reflects a joint Ukrainian–American position, and partly reflects the U.S. position, while some issues still require resolution.

“However, we have significantly moved closer to finalizing the documents,” Zelenskyy said.

“We have not reached consensus with the American side on the territory of the Donetsk region and on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

“But we have significantly aligned most positions. In principle, consensus has been reached with them on nearly everything else.”

Zelenskyy elaborated that Kyiv’s suggestion was “to remain where we are,” ending hostilities along current battle lines.

However, Moscow, whose forces have been advancing in recent months, wants Ukrainian troops to pull out of the entire eastern Donetsk region, even though about a quarter of it remains under Ukrainian control.

He said Washington was trying to find a compromise and looking to establish a demilitarized zone or a free economic zone in the area.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest, located in territory currently under Russian control, also remains a matter of dispute.

Zelenskyy said Kyiv’s suggestion was for a small economic zone to be established there.

“We are saying: if all regions are included and if we remain where we are, then we will reach an agreement,” Zelenskyy said.

“But if we do not agree to remain where we are, there are two options: either the war continues, or something will have to be decided regarding all potential economic zones.”

He added that under the suggested agreement, any ceding of territory would have to be ratified by a Ukrainian referendum.

Zelenskyy said that Kyiv expects to learn Moscow’s response to the draft document after talks between the Americans and Russians.

Other particulars laid out in the draft include Ukraine keeping its army at its current strength of 800,000, and additional agreements with the United States and European allies to also provide robust security guarantees.

Kyiv would also be accepted into the European Union within a clearly defined, though not yet stated, time frame, and receive short-term privileged access to the European single market.

Free-trade talks with the United States would also be accelerated, and Ukraine would agree to remain a non-nuclear country. Kyiv’s previously stated ambition of joining NATO did not appear in the draft. However, an explicit agreement for it never to join NATO, included in the previous draft, was also absent.

Moscow, meanwhile, said that after receiving a report from special presidential envoy and Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev, it will take the opportunity to formulate its position and continue talks with the United States through available channels, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

“Now, we will take into account the information received by our head of state to formulate our further positions and continue our contacts through the available channels as soon as possible,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Reuters contributed to this report.