Zelensky says open to free economic zone in eastern Ukraine – National

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters he would be prepared to withdraw troops from the country’s eastern industrial heartland if Russia also withdrew and the region became a free, demilitarized economic zone monitored by international forces.

The proposal, which would tackle one of the main obstacles to ending the war in Russia, is also to be put to a referendum.

A similar arrangement could be possible for the area around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is currently under Russian control, Zelenskyy said.

Zelensky spoke to reporters Tuesday to outline a comprehensive 20-point plan that Ukrainian and American negotiators clashed in Florida in recent daysalthough he said many details were still being worked out.

US negotiators have engaged in a series of talks separately with Ukraine and Russia since US President Donald Trump last month presented a plan to end the war – a proposal widely seen as favoring Moscow, which invaded its neighbor almost four years ago. Since then, Ukraine and its allies in Europe have worked to bring the plan closer to kyiv’s position.

Deciding the fate of Ukraine’s Donbass region, the vast majority of which has been seized by Russia, and how Europe’s largest nuclear power plant will be managed are among the most difficult points of the negotiations.

Asked about the plan, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that Moscow would outline its position based on information received by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who met with U.S. envoys in Florida over the weekend. Peskov declined to share further details.

Russia has given no indication that it would accept any withdrawal of its troops from the lands it has seized. In fact, Moscow insisted that Ukraine give up the remaining territory it still holds in Donbass – an ultimatum that Ukraine rejected. Russia has captured most of Luhansk and around 70% of Donetsk – the two regions that make up Donbass.

Zelensky acknowledged that determining control of the region is “the most difficult point.” He said these issues should be discussed at the leadership level.

In addition to saying the plan should be put to a referendum, Zelenskyy said an international force should be deployed to the region.

At the same time, regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the United States proposed a consortium with Ukraine and Russiain which each party would have an equal participation. Zelensky responded by proposing a joint venture between the United States and Ukraine, in which the Americans could decide how to divide their share, including giving some to Russia.

Zelensky acknowledged that the United States had not yet accepted Ukraine’s counterproposals.

“We have not reached a consensus with the American side on the territory of the Donetsk region and on the ZNPP,” Zelensky said, using the acronym for the Zaporizhzhia power plant. “But we have brought most positions closer together considerably. In principle, all other consensus in this agreement has been reached between us and them.”

Creating a free economic zone in Donbas would require difficult discussions about how far troops would be withdrawn and where international forces would be stationed, Zelenskyy said.

Zelensky said a referendum was necessary. “Because then people could choose: does this ending suit us or not?
Such a vote would require 60 days, he added, during which hostilities would have to cease.

The U.S.-Ukrainian draft also proposes that Russian forces withdraw from the Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy and Kharkiv regions.

Zelensky envisages that international forces could be located along certain points of the contact line within the free economic zone to monitor the implementation of the agreement.

“Since there is no trust in the Russians and they have repeatedly broken their promises, the current contact line is turning into a de facto free economic zone line, and international forces should be there to guarantee that no one will enter there under any cover – neither the ‘little green men’ nor the Russian military disguised as civilians,” Zelensky said.

Ukraine is also proposing that the occupied town of Enerhodar, which is the closest town to the Zaporizhzhia power plant, be a demilitarized free economic zone, Zelenskyy said.

This point required 15 hours of discussions with the United States, he said, and no agreement was reached.

For now, the United States is proposing that the plant be operated jointly by Ukraine, the United States and Russia, with each party controlling a 33 percent stake in the company — a plan Zelenskyy called “not entirely realistic.”

“How can you, after all, have common trade with the Russians?” he asked.

Ukraine instead suggested that the plant be operated by a joint venture with the United States, in which the Americans could independently determine how to distribute energy from their 50 percent share.

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Zelenskyy said billions in investments would be needed to get the plant operating again, including restoring the adjacent dam.

The working plan ensures that Ukraine will benefit from “strong” security guarantees, which would force Ukraine’s partners to act in the event of further Russian aggression. This would mirror NATO’s Article 5, which states that an armed attack against one alliance member is an attack against all.

Zelensky said a separate document with the United States would concretely define these guarantees. It will detail the conditions under which security will be ensured, particularly in the event of a new Russian attack, and will establish a mechanism for monitoring a possible ceasefire. The document will be signed at the same time as the main agreement to end the war, Zelensky said.

“The United States of America considers this an unprecedented step on their part towards Ukraine. They believe that they are providing strong security guarantees,” he said.

The plan contains other elements, including maintaining the Ukrainian army at 800,000 troops in peacetime and Ukraine joining the European Union on a specific date. Limiting the size of Ukraine’s military is a key Russian demand.

The document proposes to accelerate the conclusion of a free trade agreement between Ukraine and the United States. The United States wants the same deal with Russia, Zelensky said.

Ukraine would like to benefit from privileged short-term access to the European market and a strong global development program that would include the creation of a development fund to invest in sectors such as technology, data centers and artificial intelligence, as well as gas.

Other points include providing funds for the reconstruction of territories destroyed during the war through various means, including grants, loans and investment funds.

“Ukraine will have the opportunity to determine priorities for the distribution of its share of funds in the territories under Ukrainian control,” Zelensky said.

The goal will be to attract $800 billion in equity, grants, loans and private sector contributions.

The draft proposal also requires Ukraine to hold elections after signing the agreement. Zelensky’s five-year term was due to end in May 2024, but the elections were postponed due to the Russian invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin seized on it – even though the delay was legal – and it became a source of tension with Trump, who criticized the delay.

Ukraine also demands that all prisoners taken since 2014 be released immediately and that civilian detainees, political prisoners and children be returned to Ukraine. Russia illegally seized Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014, and Ukrainian troops and Moscow-backed forces have also been fighting in Donbas since that year.