Zelenskyy 20-point peace plan Ukraine Russia talks has entered a decisive phase as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushes for a direct summit with former US President Donald Trump to resolve the most sensitive obstacles blocking an end to the war.
As the conflict approaches its fourth year, Ukrainian and international negotiators meeting in Florida have reportedly aligned on several structural pillars of a new peace framework. However, the future of eastern Ukraine, particularly the Donbas region, remains the central unresolved issue.
Speaking on Wednesday, 24 December, Zelenskyy said that while working-level negotiations have made progress, final decisions on territorial questions cannot be settled by diplomats alone. According to him, these choices require direct engagement at the highest political level.
The latest draft marks a clear departure from earlier peace outlines that Kyiv had rejected for leaning too heavily in Moscow’s favor.
Under the revised proposal, Ukraine would maintain a peacetime military force of up to 800,000 personnel. The framework also includes binding security guarantees from the United States and European partners. These guarantees are designed to function similarly to NATO’s collective defense principle, relying on satellite surveillance, early warning systems, and permanent monitoring of any ceasefire arrangement.
Alongside security measures, the plan outlines a post-war political and economic roadmap. Ukraine would move toward European Union membership, hold nationwide elections after the war, and finalize a fast-tracked free trade agreement with the United States. Large-scale international funding for reconstruction is also embedded in the document.
Despite progress on security and economic matters, territorial control continues to delay a final agreement.
Kyiv has proposed freezing the current line of contact, meaning Ukrainian and Russian forces would remain in the positions they occupy at the moment the agreement takes effect. Moscow, however, continues to demand that Ukrainian forces withdraw fully from the Donetsk region.
To narrow this gap, US negotiators have suggested transforming disputed areas of Donbas into a free economic zone. Zelenskyy has made it clear that any such arrangement would require approval through a nationwide referendum. Similar economic governance models are also being discussed for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Zelenskyy told Ukrainian media that territorial questions represent the most difficult element of the entire peace framework.
The draft document states that in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, the line of contact would be fixed at the location of troops on the day the agreement is concluded. As Zelenskyy put it, Ukraine would remain where it currently stands.
At the same time, Russia would be required to withdraw its forces from the regions of Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv for the agreement to enter into force.
Russia, however, insists that Ukraine leave Donetsk entirely. The United States has floated the idea of a free economic zone in Donbas as a compromise, but Zelenskyy stressed that this option can only be decided by a referendum.
“If we are discussing this, it must be a special format and a special decision,” Zelenskyy said. “Only a referendum can determine whether people agree to this path, either this or continued war.”
According to Zelenskyy, US representatives support holding a referendum but have been told that Ukrainians would need to vote on the entire peace agreement, not individual clauses.
He explained that a referendum would require at least 60 days of preparation and must take place during a genuine ceasefire. Without a full 60-day ceasefire, any vote would lack legitimacy and could not be recognized domestically or internationally.
If a free economic zone is established, international monitoring forces would oversee its operation. The arrangement would also require approval by Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, meaning a separate law would have to be adopted in addition to a public vote.
The Kremlin has confirmed that President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the updated peace draft and is preparing an official response.
While the framework offers more detailed enforcement and monitoring mechanisms than past agreements, both sides acknowledge that significant political concessions are still required.
Zelenskyy’s call for a direct meeting with Trump highlights a broader reality. The future of Donbas and the final shape of Ukraine’s borders are likely to be decided only through direct, high-stakes negotiations between global power brokers.
