Zelensky proposes demilitarized zone in eastern Ukraine as way to peace

Wall Street Journal/msn ^ | 12/24/2025 | Anastasiia Malenko

[SaxxonWoods]

KYIV—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be willing to pull troops out of the eastern region of Donetsk and create a demilitarized free economic zone as part of a potential peace deal, provided Russia took similar steps to withdraw from areas it controls.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Zelensky said the proposal and other aspects of a 20-point plan would be put to a referendum. The territorial dispute across the Donbas, the eastern flank of Ukraine where some of the heaviest fighting is raging, is one of the chief sticking points in the latest version of a plan to end the conflict drafted with the U.S. Kyiv worries that surrendering fortified positions in the area could make it easier for Russia to stage further attacks. Several attempts have already been made to break the impasse, but to no avail.

Other difficult issues include control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, currently occupied by Russia.

Zelensky said Kyiv is now mostly aligned with Washington on the plan, but that Ukraine says a meeting with President Trump is needed to iron out some of the elements. He said he was also ready to explain Ukraine’s position to the Russian side as well.

“We are ready for a meeting with the United States at the leaders’ level to address sensitive issues. Matters such as territorial questions must be discussed at the leaders’ level,” Zelensky said.

---

TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Ukraine
KEYWORDS: availableyearsago; botched2022treaty

[SaxxonWoods]

The territorial dispute across the Donbas, the eastern flank of Ukraine where some of the heaviest fighting is raging, is one of the chief sticking points in the latest version of a plan to end the conflict drafted with the U.S. Kyiv worries that surrendering fortified positions in the area could make it easier for Russia to stage further attacks. Several attempts have already been made to break the impasse, but to no avail.

Other difficult issues include control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, currently occupied by Russia.

Zelensky said Kyiv is now mostly aligned with Washington on the plan, but that Ukraine says a meeting with President Trump is needed to iron out some of the elements. He said he was also ready to explain Ukraine’s position to the Russian side as well.

“We are ready for a meeting with the United States at the leaders’ level to address sensitive issues. Matters such as territorial questions must be discussed at the leaders’ level,” Zelensky said. (More at link)

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

Pray for peace.

[SaxxonWoods]

Indeed, I am.

[iamgalt]

Non starter. Russia is not about to lose hundreds of thousands of men only to give up the territory they have taken.

[Owen]

There will be people who see this and declare that he is being told what the US satellites show and the Brits, suddenly, are not refuting it with their own satellite imagery.

But truth be told, this all derives from one thing.

The EU discovered last week they have to pay the bills. There will be no grab of Russian assets. And England doesn’t want to ante up, either.

So the Brit satellite imagery says something different, and the US imagery is what it always was, but Z no longer has the EU standing beside him and telling him to ignore it — because they don’t want to pay the bills.

Overall bottom line: the loser doesn’t get to dictate terms.

[DesertRhino]

The same old DC/London Axis plan. Create a DMZ/cease fire, then start no-fly patrols with NATO planes, flood NATO country “peacekeepers” in to embed with every Uke position etc.
Then they want the Russians to pull back and for DC to administer a cool new economic zone.

They Russians aren’t stupid... they aren’t going for this because of Minsk II, and because they see that DC is hard against Trump. So any deal with us is very temporary.

They also know that embedded with NATO, the SBU will keep launching terror attacks, sabotage etc knowing that Russia can’t retaliate without hitting NATO guys.

This is going nowhere.... just another grift.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

A day late and a dollar short, Shorty.

First step to demilitarization would be for Shorty to lose his lululemon G.I. Jill outfit.

[mass55th]

"First step to demilitarization would be for Shorty to lose his lululemon G.I. Jill outfit.""'

And his already expired job.

[delta7]

Ukraine has no path to Victory what so ever. Vlad will accomplish his stated objectives. The ethnic Russian provinces will stay Russian, the Donbass will remain the Russian Donbass.

No amount of Hopium is going to change the fact.

[BobL]

“This is going nowhere.... just another grift.”

Clearly the case, and the Neocons ALL understand this.

So what’s the purpose of this scam? Easy, to make it seem like the Russians are playing our side, rather than negotiating in good faith.

At that point they go to Rubio and demand more money for Ukraine.

[silverleaf]

Russia is not going to pull out of the territory it won…which is now part of the RF. Creating a DMZ is problematic because ukraine and europe proved, with Minsk, to be non-trustworthy. Z blather about needing an 800,000 man army ( prob backfilled with european “volunteers”) is not gonna fly. Thats just a slow cooker recipe for another offensive in the future. And a great big festering boil on any real resolution of territory and political issues.

Russia has seemed agreeable to IAEA control of the Zap NPP. No way will they agree to put the Ukes back in sole control after the Ukes spent the last 3 years trying to attack and sabotage it to make it a dirty bomb. Plus the eastern area will need some of the energy produced if it comes back online ( now in cold shutdown)

Just mho