Zelenskyy open to troop withdrawal in eastern Ukraine if Russia also pulls back

New Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 25, 2025 01:29 IST

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is prepared to withdraw Ukrainian troops from the country’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end Russia’s war, if Moscow also pulls back and the territory is turned into a demilitarized zone monitored by international forces, according to the Associated Press.

The proposal offers a rare glimpse of potential compromise on the Donbas, long the most divisive issue in any peace effort, even as fighting continues and Russia shows no sign of easing its demands.

A CONDITIONAL OFFER ON THE DONBAS

Zelenskyy said Ukraine would consider a troop withdrawal from parts of the Donbas only if Russian forces did the same and the area was placed under international supervision.

He added that the United States has proposed creating a demilitarized free economic zone in the region, though many questions remain about how it would be governed and developed. Any final deal, Zelenskyy said, would be put to a nationwide referendum.

TALKS WITH THE US NARROW GAPS

Zelenskyy was speaking after several days of talks in Florida between Ukrainian and US negotiators, which he said produced a broad 20-point framework for ending the war.

While many details are still under discussion, he said positions have moved closer. “In principle, all other consensus in this agreement has been found between us and them,” Zelenskyy said.

The renewed diplomacy follows a peace initiative unveiled last month by US President Donald Trump, a proposal widely seen as favoring Moscow and later reshaped by Ukraine and its European allies.

RUSSIA UNMOVED, FOR NOW

Russia has not signaled any willingness to withdraw from occupied territory. Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine surrender the parts of the Donbas it still controls, a condition Kyiv has rejected.

Russia currently holds most of Luhansk and about 70 percent of Donetsk. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would decide its stance after receiving briefings from presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who met US officials over the weekend, but offered no further details.

ZAPORIZHZHIA PLANT EMERGES AS KEY FAULT LINE

Zelenskyy said a similar demilitarized arrangement could be explored around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which remains under Russian control.

The United States has proposed a joint consortium involving Ukraine, the US and Russia, with each holding an equal stake. Zelenskyy rejected that idea as unrealistic.

“How can you have joint commerce with the Russians after everything?” he asked.

Ukraine instead wants a joint venture with the US that would give Washington control over how its share of electricity is distributed. Zelenskyy said restarting the plant would require billions of dollars in investment, including repairs to the nearby dam.

SECURITY GUARANTEES AND TROOP WITHDRAWALS

Under the working draft, Zelenskyy said Russian forces would also withdraw from parts of the Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy and Kharkiv regions. forces could be stationed at specific points along the contact line to monitor any ceasefire.

The proposal includes what Zelenskyy described as “strong” security guarantees for Ukraine, similar to NATO’s Article 5. A separate agreement with the United States would outline how partners would respond to renewed Russian aggression and how violations would be tracked.

“The mood of the United States of America is that this is an unprecedented step towards Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.

The draft also calls for boosting Ukraine’s economy through faster free-trade arrangements, privileged access to European markets and a massive reconstruction drive aimed at raising up to $800 billion from public and private sources.

It envisions keeping Ukraine’s army at 800,000 troops in peacetime, holding elections after a peace deal is signed, and securing the release of all prisoners held since 2014, including civilians, political detainees and children taken to Russia.

- Ends

With inputs from Associated Press

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