Zelenskyy Details US Peace Proposals on Donbas and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday outlined key elements of a proposed US-backed peace plan, including the creation of a “free economic zone” in Donbas and a shared management model for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Orda.kz reports.

Allegedly, the Trump administration is pushing for the peace agreement to be settled by Christmas.

Zelenskyy confirmed that Kyiv has submitted an updated version of the plan to Washington. According to him, the United States is pushing for the establishment of a demilitarized “free economic zone” separating Russian and Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine.

They see Ukrainian troops leaving the Donetsk region, and the supposed compromise is that Russian troops will not enter this territory. They don't know who will govern this territory, which they are already calling a 'free economic zone' or a 'demilitarized zone,'
 Zelenskyy told reporters.

I believe the people of Ukraine will answer this question. Whether it's an election or a referendum, the people of Ukraine must express their position.

But for elections to be possible, a security component must be ensured. And America can help with this more than anything else. If elections are necessary now, there must be a ceasefire — at least for the duration of the election process and voting. This is something that needs to be discussed. Frankly, we here in Ukraine believe that America should talk to the Russian side about this,
 he said.

Zelenskyy also said the US proposal includes a Russian withdrawal from the Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv regions, while Russian forces would “stay where they are” in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.

According to the Ukrainian president, the most sensitive points in talks with Washington remain the future of the Donetsk region and control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

The Americans want a common format for managing the station. Our position here is very simple. If the Americans can take control of the station and somehow demilitarize the zone — meaning Russian troops must withdraw some distance from the station — then access to the station in Ukraine will be possible. And then we'll need to find a way to manage it all,
 Zelenskyy said according to Suspilne.

Meanwhile, Axios reports that new peace talks involving Ukraine, France, the UK, Germany, and the United States are scheduled to take place in Paris on December 13.

Original Author: Oksana Matvienko