Deadline for ending the war in Ukraine. Zelensky revealed the Americans' plan. “They will pressure”

Washington wants Moscow and Kiev to find a solution as quickly as possible to end the war, the largest since World War II, and has also put forward a deadline, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, Reuters reports.

In remarks to reporters published by his office on Saturday, Zelensky said the US had proposed a new round of talks between Ukraine and Russia to be held in Miami in a week's time, and Kiev had agreed to it.

“The Americans are proposing that the parties end the war before the start of summer, and they will probably put pressure on the parties to adhere to this timetable,” Zelenskiy said.

“The (parliamentary mid-term) elections are definitely more important for them. Let's not be naive. And they say they want to solve everything by June,” the Kiev leader said.

Zelenski's statement confirmed reports by Reuters about the proposed timetable for a deal. Ukraine has suggested a phasing plan, Zelenskiy said, but did not provide details.

Russia's proposal to the US. “The Dmitriev Package”

Ukraine and Russia ended two days of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi this week without major progress, but the two sides agreed to exchange 157 prisoners of war each, resuming exchanges after a five-month hiatus. Zelenskiy said the exchange of prisoners of war would continue.

The military teams discussed in detail the technical aspects of how to monitor a potential truce, Zelenski said.

Also discussed were security guarantees for Ukraine and economic cooperation agreements, dubbed the “prosperity plan” by officials, outlining Ukraine's post-war recovery.

Kiev media reports that Zelensky has received signals that Washington and Moscow may sign bilateral documents, including on economic cooperation.

Zelenskiy said he had received reports from his intelligence services about talks in which Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev proposed cooperation deals between Russia and the United States worth up to $12 trillion, referring to it as the “Dmitriev package.”

Clues of Kiev

He stated that any such bilateral agreements between Russia and the United States cannot violate the Ukrainian constitution.

“Given the potential risks, the Ukrainian delegation conveyed the position that if there are bilateral agreements between Russia and the US, the provisions on Ukraine cannot contradict the constitution,” he said, apparently referring to territorial issues, according to The Kyiv Independent.

The leader from Kiev stated that he does not have a complete picture of all possible trade agreements between the US and Russia.

He added that there are indications of potential bilateral documents between the US and Russia that could include provisions related to Ukraine.

New details from behind the scenes of the negotiations

Prior to Zelensky's statements, Reuters reported that the negotiations between the US and Ukraine had the ambitious goal of Moscow and Kiev concluding a peace agreement by March, but this deadline is unachievable due to the lack of agreement on the key issue: the territories, according to some sources of the news agency.

According to the sources cited by Reuters, during the discussions between the American and Ukrainian negotiators, the idea was approached that any agreement would be subject to a referendum in which the Ukrainians would vote simultaneously with the national elections.

Two Reuters sources said US and Ukrainian officials had discussed the possibility of holding national elections and a referendum in May. Other sources involved said that the Americans' scenario was unrealistic, while the authorities in Kiev claimed that the vote could be held in six months, under current conditions.

The Americans are in a hurry

The organization of the election would require legislative changes. Elections are banned during martial law in Ukraine and would involve significant costs.

Ukraine is calling for a cease-fire throughout the election campaign to protect the integrity of the referendum, citing the Kremlin's history of violating temporary ceasefires, sources told Reuters.

The team of American negotiators, led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, conveyed to their Ukrainian counterparts during recent meetings in Abu Dhabi and Miami that it would be better for the vote to take place as soon as possible, three of these sources said.

US negotiators have said Trump is likely to focus more on domestic affairs as November's general election approaches, meaning senior US officials will have less time and political capital to hammer out a peace deal, two sources said.

The territories, the main problem

The main obstacle to a short-term peace remains the fate of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. Russia is not backing down and is demanding control of the entire region in any possible deal, while Kiev still controls more than 5,000 square km of the territory.

Ukraine considers this claim by Moscow to be unacceptable, although it has shown openness to creative solutions, such as a demilitarized zone or a free trade zone.

Sources familiar with the progress of negotiations to end the war say “there is still no progress on the territorial issue.”

Also, the fate of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, located on territory occupied by the Russians, remains a sensitive point.

According to one source, the US proposed that Washington manage the plant and distribute the power to both Russia and Ukraine. On the other hand, Moscow insists it wants control of the plant and to provide Ukraine with cheap energy, a proposal considered unacceptable in Kiev.

Even if these problems were solved, the Ukrainians could refuse any territorial concession in the referendum.

Russia occupies about 20 percent of Ukraine's territory, including the Crimean peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014, and parts of Donbas captured before the 2022 invasion.

Analysts estimate that Russia has gained about 1.3% of Ukraine's territory since the beginning of 2023.

Polls show significant majorities against territorial concessions in exchange for Western security guarantees, although the numbers have moderated slightly over the past year.