Peace Proposals Set to be Presented to Moscow In the Coming Days, Says Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that proposals for a peace deal developed with US officials could be finalised in a matter of days. Afterward, American envoys are expected to submit the documentation to the Kremlin.

Negotiations in Berlin Produce Significant Progress, But Key Hurdles Remain

After two days of discussions in Berlin, American negotiators indicated on Monday that approximately “90%” of the contentious issues between Moscow and Kyiv had been settled. Despite this optimistic assessment, an actual conclusion to the war is not guaranteed, particularly because the Russian lack of participation from the current dialogue.

In the early hours of Tuesday, Zelenskyy said that the US Congress was anticipated to consider defense assurances and that a complete package of documents might be ready “today or tomorrow.” Subsequently, the United States would hold consultations with Moscow, potentially followed by high-level meetings as soon as this weekend.

Defense Assurances and International Support

“We are counting on five key agreements. Several pertain to security guarantees: legally binding, that is, approved and endorsed by the US Congress,” the president remarked to the press. He stated that these guarantees would “mirror the collective defense clause” of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Earlier, American representatives declined to give precise information regarding the likely contents of the defense package or what would happen if Russia sought to capture more land after a peace deal. Officials did confirm that the United States does not intend to deploy troops on the ground in the country.

Heads of state from the UK, France, Germany and several additional European countries said in a unified declaration that forces belonging to a “coalition of the willing” could “help with the regeneration of Ukraine’s forces, in protecting Ukraine’s skies, and in ensuring safer seas, potentially by operating inside Ukraine.”

However, they did not proposing these measures would constitute guarantees equivalent to Nato’s article 5. Furthermore, there is scant indication that Moscow is anywhere close to accepting the type of package being negotiated between Washington and Kyiv.

Moscow's Stance and Territorial Dispute

The following day, the Russian government said it had not seen the details of the plans for security guarantees. Additionally, a senior Russian diplomat, Sergey Ryabkov, asserted that Russia would not agree to troops from Nato countries operating in Ukraine “under any circumstances.”

The main sticking point between the Ukrainian negotiators and their American counterparts remains the issue of land. One proposal involves Kyiv ceding the parts of the Donbas region it still holds, while the Ukrainian side wants to maintain the current front lines. “We are discussing the land dispute. You know, it is one of the key issues. At this point, there is no agreement on it yet,” Zelenskyy remarked following the Berlin discussions.

The US negotiation team, headed by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, has proposed a middle-ground proposal. This framework would see Ukrainian forces pull back, but Russian troops would not advance, with the demilitarised area established as “a free economic zone.” Russia has indicated it could use internal security formations rather than the army in such an area, implying it would still expect to maintain authority there.

“I want to stress once again: a ‘special economic zone’ is not under the control of Russia. Not legally or in practice will we recognise Donbas – its temporarily occupied part – as Russian. Categorically,” stated President Zelenskyy.

Next Steps and Potential Outcomes

The way ahead is uncertain how Moscow and Kyiv will proceed on the territorial issue. The Ukrainian leader has previously suggested that a compromise solution such as a special economic area could be conceivable if the citizens of Ukraine approved it in a referendum. The critical stumbling block is expected to arise when the proposals are presented to Russian president Vladimir Putin, who has given no sign he is willing to compromise on his military objectives.

“If Putin rejects everything, we will end up with exactly what we are experiencing on our plane right now – turbulence,” said the president, making the statement as his aircraft took off from Berlin.

“I believe the United States will apply sanctions pressure and provide us with more weapons if he rejects everything. In my view, that would be a reasonable expectation from Ukraine to the United States,” he concluded.