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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is open to withdrawing troops from eastern Ukraine if Russia also pulls back and the areas become internationally monitored demilitarized zones.

Zelenskyy described the idea on December 24, 2025, while briefing reporters on a 20-point draft peace plan that Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators worked out during meetings in Florida in recent days.

While he stressed that many details of the peace plan remain unresolved, the proposal reflects an effort by Washington and Kyiv to narrow differences and present Moscow with a framework that could eventually lead to a ceasefire and a negotiated settlement.

At the core of the plan is the question of control over the Donbas region, made up of the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions, which Zelenskyy called “the most difficult point” in negotiations.

Russia currently controls most of Luhansk and about 70% of Donetsk, while Ukraine retains roughly 20% of Donetsk. Zelenskyy indicated that the plan could open the way for Ukraine to pull back from some of the territory it still controls, creating demilitarized zones under international supervision.

Suggestion for Free Economic Zones

According to Zelenskyy, the United States proposed the creation of a “free economic zone” in parts of eastern Ukraine that would also be demilitarized. He said such a zone could help satisfy competing demands by allowing both sides to disengage militarily while avoiding immediate decisions on sovereignty.

However, he acknowledged that it remains unclear how governance, administration, or long-term development would function under such an arrangement.

“In the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, the line of troop deployment as of the date of this agreement is de facto recognized as the line of contact,” Zelenskyy said, reading from the draft document during a two-hour briefing with journalists.

He added that a working group would later determine how forces would be redeployed and how potential special economic zones would operate.

Zelenskyy stressed that any plan involving Ukrainian troop withdrawals would require approval through a national referendum. “A free economic zone. If we are discussing this, then we need to go to a referendum,” he said, underlining the political sensitivity of any compromise over territory after years of war and heavy casualties.

The draft plan removes earlier provisions that would have required Ukraine to immediately withdraw from the Donetsk region or legally recognize territory seized by Russia as Russian. Zelenskyy said Kyiv succeeded in pushing back against those demands, which had been seen domestically and by European allies as unacceptable concessions.

Russia Shows No Sign of Compromise

Despite the movement on the Ukrainian and U.S. side, Russia has not indicated that it is prepared to agree to withdrawals from occupied territory. Moscow has consistently demanded that Ukraine relinquish the remaining land it holds in the Donbas, an ultimatum Kyiv has rejected.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow was “formulating its position” based on information provided by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who met U.S. envoys in Florida over the weekend. Peskov declined to discuss specifics and said Russia considers it “highly inappropriate to conduct any kind of communication via the media.”

President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly doubled down on hardline demands, including sweeping Ukrainian troop withdrawals and political concessions that Kyiv and its European backers have described as capitulation. Russian officials have also criticized efforts by Ukraine and Europe to amend an earlier U.S. proposal that many viewed as favoring Moscow.

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant

Another key element of the draft plan concerns the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, which has been under Russian control since the early months of the invasion.

Zelenskyy said the United States proposed creating a consortium involving Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia, with each side holding a 33% stake in operating the facility.

Zelenskyy pushed back on that idea, calling it “not entirely realistic.” “How can you have joint commerce with the Russians after everything?” he asked.

Ukraine instead proposed a joint venture with the U.S. in which Americans would control a 50% stake and independently decide how to distribute electricity, including potentially allocating a share to Russia.

The Ukrainian leader said billions of dollars in investment would be required to restart the plant, including repairing the nearby dam and restoring infrastructure damaged during the fighting.

He also proposed that the nearby occupied city of Enerhodar be designated a demilitarized free economic zone. Zelenskyy said this issue alone required 15 hours of discussion with U.S. negotiators, and no agreement was reached.

Security Guarantees Modeled on NATO Principles

Zelenskyy said the working draft includes “strong” security guarantees for Ukraine that would obligate its partners to respond in the event of renewed Russian aggression. He said the guarantees would mirror NATO’s Article 5 principle, under which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.

A separate document with the United States would spell out the details, including the conditions under which assistance would be triggered and the mechanisms for monitoring any ceasefire. That document would be signed alongside a final peace agreement.

“The mood of the United States of America is that this is an unprecedented step towards Ukraine on their part,” Zelenskyy said. “They believe that they are giving strong security guarantees.”

While the plan removes any immediate requirement for Ukraine to renounce its bid for NATO membership, Zelenskyy acknowledged that the prospects of joining the alliance remain slim, particularly as Washington has ruled it out. “It’s the choice of NATO members whether to have Ukraine or not. Our choice has been made,” he said.

Military Limits, Elections, and Economic Incentives

The draft proposal includes a provision to keep Ukraine’s armed forces at 800,000 troops during peacetime, addressing a key Russian demand to limit Ukraine’s military capacity. It also sets out a pathway for Ukraine to become a member of the European Union by a specific date, although no timeline has been made public.

Economically, the plan proposes accelerating a free-trade agreement between Ukraine and the United States. Zelenskyy said Washington has also expressed interest in pursuing a similar arrangement with Russia.

Ukraine is seeking short-term privileged access to European markets and a global development package, including the creation of a development fund to attract outside investment into Ukrainian industries.

Reconstruction is another central pillar. The plan aims to raise $800 billion through a mix of equity, grants, loans, and private-sector contributions to rebuild infrastructure destroyed during the war.

The document also calls for Ukraine to hold elections after a peace agreement is signed. Zelenskyy’s five-year term was due to end in May 2024, but elections were postponed under martial law following Russia’s invasion. Both President Donald Trump and President Putin have publicly pressed for elections, a demand Zelenskyy has resisted while fighting continues.

Ukraine is also seeking the release of all prisoners taken since 2014, including civilians, political detainees, and children transferred to Russia.

Fighting and Covert Actions Continue

Even as diplomatic efforts intensify, violence has not subsided. Russian forces continue to advance along parts of the frontline and carry out nightly missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure. Russia’s defense ministry said Wednesday it had captured another Ukrainian settlement in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.

In Moscow, an explosion on Wednesday killed three people, including two police officers, according to Russian investigators. The blast came days after a car bomb killed a senior Russian general.

An official from Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said the attack was part of an agency operation, while another official claimed the officers had participated in the war against Ukraine. Both spoke on condition of anonymity.

As talks continue, Zelenskyy acknowledged that not all Ukrainian concerns have been addressed and that Moscow’s acceptance remains highly uncertain. Still, he said progress had been made. “We have significantly brought most of the positions closer together,” he said, adding that “In principle, all other consents in this agreement have been found between them and us.”