Zelensky Unveils 20-Point Peace Plan Offering Partial Ukrainian Withdrawal From Eastern Regions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled a US-backed 20-point peace plan proposing partial Ukrainian withdrawals from contested eastern areas while offering robust security guarantees and new monitoring mechanisms.

“Summary: - President Zelenskyy presented a draft peace proposal that hinges on whether all contested regions remain under current control; if not, he said either the war will continue or decisions must be made about creating economic zones”

Al Jazeera

Zelensky described the draft as the "main framework for ending the war" in briefings, and it envisages options such as demilitarized or "free economic" zones along parts of Donbas, saying vacated areas would be policed by Ukraine.

Al Jazeera

The draft also sets a peacetime Ukrainian force at about 800,000 and links withdrawals to international guarantees and monitoring.

The plan has been circulated to Moscow for feedback and builds on recent talks involving US negotiators and intermediaries in Berlin, Florida and Miami.

A central pillar of the plan is robust international security guarantees and a high-tech monitoring regime.

The draft reportedly models guarantees "roughly in spirit" on NATO's Article 5 with a separate US bilateral document to detail those guarantees; it also proposes satellite and early-warning technology and unmanned surveillance to monitor the contact line and enable rapid response to ceasefire breaches.

BBC

Zelensky and US negotiators said these measures would both deter renewed Russian offensives and reassure Ukrainians that any withdrawals would be reversible if guarantees fail.

The draft addresses specific territorial adjustments and sensitive sites.

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday revealed details of the latest US-backed 20-point plan to end the war in Ukraine, saying it has been sent to Moscow for feedback”

France 24

It envisages Ukrainian pullbacks in parts of Donetsk by set distances to create demilitarized or economic zones.

It proposes an economic zone around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

It seeks Russian troop withdrawals from parts of Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy and Kharkiv.

Some versions discussed in diplomatic talks reportedly suggested concrete withdrawal distances of 5, 10 or 40 km in roughly 25% of Donetsk that Kyiv still controls, with reciprocal Russian pullbacks by the same distances.

The plan ties major defense and reconstruction items to sizeable peacetime force numbers and funding commitments.

Multiple reports say the package includes a Ukrainian peacetime army of about 800,000, while leaked proposals discussed in diplomatic meetings have suggested alternative caps, with theins.ru citing a 600,000 cap in some versions.

kurdistan24.net

Theins.ru and other analysts warn that maintaining such large forces and financing reconstruction would demand large sums, and there is debate over whether frozen Russian assets should be redirected to rebuilding or kept frozen and used as collateral for loans.

Political acceptability and next steps remain contested.

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed details of an updated peace plan that could allow a partial withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the country’s eastern regions, a key demand long raised by Moscow”

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Zelensky briefed that the 20-point text has been sent to Moscow and said Kyiv has not agreed to all elements.

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He said some measures would require parliamentary approval or referendums.

Reports show Kyiv sought to remove language that would force it to renounce NATO aspirations and to preserve its sovereignty and EU accession prospects.

Moscow’s response is pending, and Kremlin demands continue to press for more extensive territorial concessions.

Core disputes, especially over control of Donbas, remain unresolved.