The plan is not final yet; the USA, Ukraine and Russia are currently working on it.
According to the US vision, in the “free economic zone” the Ukrainian army should withdraw, and Russia should not enter the territory at the same time. The question of who will manage this zone and how to ensure its security has not yet been resolved.
“When we talk about a “free economic zone,” and that there cannot be troops there because they are at a certain distance from each other, then it is probably fair to ask: if someone withdraws somewhere on one side, as the Ukrainians want, then why doesn’t the other side of the war retreat to the same distance in the other direction?” – noted the head of the Ukrainian state.
Zelensky added that he is convinced that the US vision is “definitely not in the interests of Ukraine,” but negotiations continue. The parties are discussing options for the Russian army to withdraw to a symmetrical distance, as well as issues of monitoring this territory in order to prevent attempts to control or penetrate under the guise of civilians.
“What exactly will keep Russian troops from going further? Or from them, under the guise of “civilians,” infiltrating into the “free economic zone” and taking control of it? This is all very serious. It’s not a fact that we as Ukraine will accept this, but when you tell us about a compromise, you must give a fair compromise.”
In addition to Donbass, the plan provides for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the occupied parts of the Kharkov, Sumy and Dnepropetrovsk regions. Regarding Zaporozhye and the Kherson region, the demarcation line remains unchanged.
Context
The Ukrainian and US delegations have already held seven rounds of negotiations on a “peace plan” for resolving the Russian-Ukrainian war. At the same time, the Americans are discussing this plan with the Russian Federation.
On December 2, illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin, his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner discussed in Moscow there were several draft plans for approximately five hours, but no compromise was reached in relation to the territories. One of the main issues was Ukraine's membership in NATO.
On December 3–4, Putin said that he would allegedly “in any case” seize the Ukrainian Donbass and some territories of southern Ukraine, confirming that he did not intend to retreat from maximalist goals.
European leaders in telephone conversations warned Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky about possible betrayal of the United States and advised him to be careful. The main issues on which the Russian Federation will not compromise are Donbass, the size of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and recognition of the occupied territories.
