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Zelenskyy: Peace Plan Must Include Equal Withdrawals and Clear Governance
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the US proposal for a compromise regarding Donetsk contains a number of unresolved questions and does not align with Ukraine’s interests.
He made the remark during a meeting with press on December 11.
“I can say how, as of now, the American side sees this and what the problem is. They see that Ukrainian forces are withdrawing from the territory of Donetsk, and the compromise is supposedly that Russian forces will not enter this area. Who will govern the territory they are already calling a ‘free economic zone’ or a ‘demilitarized zone’—they do not know,” Zelenskyy stated.
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According to him, this is currently how the “compromise vision of the United States of America” looks. The president noted that the discussion raises a number of logical questions: “When we talk about a ‘free economic zone’ and that there cannot be troops there because they must be at a certain distance from each other, it is fair to ask: if one side withdraws as expected from the Ukrainians, why wouldn’t the other side of the war withdraw the same distance in the opposite direction?”
Zelenskyy also stressed the challenges of managing such territories: “There are questions regarding the management of these territories on both sides of the contact line if someone supposedly withdraws. For now, this leaves a lot of questions. That is why the conversation on this continues.”
The president added that he had heard the US proposals, and, through them, those of the Russian side.
“I heard all the proposals of the American side and, effectively through them, the ‘Russian’ side regarding the territory of Donetsk, and I said that this is definitely not in Ukraine’s interests, but the conversation must continue and we need to try to find answers to all questions so that everything is more adequate.”
He also emphasized the need for parity in any potential troop withdrawals: “For example, if these troops withdraw 5 km, then the others should also withdraw 5 km. If one side withdraws 10 km, then the other should also withdraw 10 km.” In his view, any “demilitarized zone” must include effective monitoring, as is done “in all wars.”
Zelenskyy raised the issue of real security guarantees for such a zone: “If some troops are supposed to withdraw while others remain where they are, what will prevent these other troops—that is, Russian troops—from advancing further? Or from infiltrating the ‘free economic zone’ disguised as civilians and taking control of it?”
“This is all very serious. It is not certain that we, as Ukraine, would accept this, but when you talk to us about a compromise, you have to offer a fair compromise,” the president concluded.
Earlier, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that various aspects of the US peace plan need further discussions, particularly on “sensitive issues,” such as security guarantees for Ukraine and territorial matters.
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-8bbc695b3088a566ee52fc86688c8194.jpeg "Ukraine’s Army Now at 800,000—Zelenskyy Reveals Key Change in New Peace Agreement")
