Posted on 12/12/2025 7:12:40 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the US has offered to create a "free economic zone" in the contested Donbas region of eastern Ukraine in a bid to push a peace deal over the line.
The Donbas - an industrial and coal-mining area primarily made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions - has become one of the key sticking points in the US-proposed peace plan.
The first draft of the plan, widely leaked last month, stipulated that Ukraine must withdraw from areas of the Donbas it currently controls, thought to be a minority portion, as a condition for peace.
Ukraine considered that point "unacceptable", and Mr Zelenskyy has spent the last few weeks drafting a response to the plan that removed "obvious anti-Ukraine points".
After a series of meetings with Ukraine's European allies, including a trip to London to meet Sir Keir Starmer on Monday, Zelenskyy said on Thursday that he'd sent Washington a revised peace plan, whittled down to just 20 points.
The new US proposal envisions Ukraine withdrawing from its territory in the Donbas without the Russians advancing, creating a neutral zone.
But Zelenskyy poured cold water on the plans as he briefed journalists in Kyiv.
"Who will govern this territory, which they are calling a 'free economic zone' or a 'demilitarised zone' - they don't know," he said.
"If one side's troops have to retreat and the other side stays where they are, then what will hold back these other troops, the Russians? Or what will stop them disguising themselves as civilians and taking over this free economic zone? This is all very serious.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.sky.com ...
Hold an honest election, a-hole. Let the people vote.
No corruption and honest elections?
There should a line.
Trump can pick out a line with DIA and other military help, which can be submitted for Putin and Zelensky for comments and approval.
Trump can take the comments and with military help pick out a good line, which may be not the exact line but fair and defendable.
This is it folks, you can still fight, but this is right!
Each side would pull back one kilometer from the line within 24 hours after ratification of the peace deal.
“a neutral zone”
Modern government is expected to provide things like health care and pensions.
Who would provide it?
Who would provide policing? Prisons? Judges? Law?
The delay has allowed Russia to gain territory, which can only cause Russians to become more pig-headed.
How about honest elections in Russia? How would your beloved Putin fare in free open elections”?
They can have free discussions on the internet. My God, some people’s heroes.
Why don’t you just sit back and celebrate the Russians murdering an 80-year-old woman out in the countryside tending her goats. That’s more your speed.
“free economic zone”
Thie zone would be far from EU markets but close to the Russian market.
Brands of EU, UK, and US companies are no longer welcome in the Russian Federation.
New Russian brands have been created with great efforts and at great expenses.
Zelensky has a point. Ukraine is being asked to give up its fortifications (which have withheld Russian assaults for four years) and hope that the Russians won’t invade the flat plains and overrun the country. It’s basically suicidal as a country to agree to that.
No deal.
It's like asking Hitler to stop after he was able to take the Sudetenland.
Give back the stolen American money you little twerp.
King of corruption Zelinsky.
Z will never make peace.
Peace is not in his greedy nature.
He can’t. All opposition parties are banned, the only broadcasting available is government owned, and it’s illegal to criticize the government.
Fight to the last Ukie Male.
What will hold them back? Ukraine and NATO leaving the Russians alone and not taking actions, like fomenting coups that endanger their naval bases.
Fight to the last Ukie Male.
**************
Yet, many Ukie Males chose safer pastures rather than dying for country.
Let’s see,,, Before the Orange Revolution, a free trade agreement and acknowledgment of the Russian lease on the Crimean naval base would have been wise.
I’d ask point me to the part of my comment that you interpreted as pro Putin, but we both know you can’t. I’m sure we both agree that Putin is a bad guy, but that does not make Zelensky a good guy. I would be happy if we were rid of both of them.
Another nasty Ukie using Democrat tactics on our forum. This is disgusting filth meant to bully people and shut down debate.
The situation is decided. This is the denial/anger phase before the eventual admission of reality. It’s always the most ugly.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, but we probably won’t have to wait very long.
I think the journey to the end for the Russian economy and for Putin’s patriotic war effort have both passed the point of no return a while ago.
And now, the devastating Ukrainian attacks, the Russian winter, Putin’s neo-Soviet crackdowns and the crashing Russian economy will only speed up the inevitable ending.
No idea what Trump’s strategy is all about other than maybe giving Putin’s ego the stroke, while Zelenskyy gives Putin’s ego and the Russian oil economy some almost nightly drone attack payback.
History, Ukrainians and Russians, too, won’t remember Vlad in a good way.
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