By Staff, Agencies

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has unveiled a 20-point draft peace framework that he says Kiev has been discussing with the United States, describing it as a potential basis for ending the conflict with Russia.

Zelensky shared details of the proposal during a briefing with journalists on Wednesday, stating that the document largely reflects a joint Ukrainian-American position, though several major issues remain unresolved.

One of the most disputed points concerns the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant [ZNPP], which is currently fully controlled by Russian forces. Kiev is proposing joint Ukrainian-American management of the facility on a 50-50 basis, rejecting Washington’s suggested trilateral arrangement that would include Russia.

Territorial questions, which Zelensky described as the most difficult aspect of the plan, would place the responsibility for concessions on Moscow despite Russia’s significant military advances. One option outlined would require Russian forces to withdraw from Ukraine’s Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Sumy, and Nikolayev regions, while freezing the conflict along existing front lines in Russia’s Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, and Kherson regions.

Moscow has consistently demanded that Ukrainian troops leave territories that officially joined Russia in 2022 but remain partly under Kiev’s control.

The draft also calls for Ukraine to maintain a peacetime armed force of 800,000 personnel, despite Zelensky previously acknowledging that Kiev cannot sustain such a force without continued Western financial support.

In addition, Zelensky is seeking “Article 5-like” security guarantees from the US, NATO and European countries, including commitments to a Western military response if fighting resumes.

Under the proposal, Ukraine would accept non-nuclear status while expecting accelerated EU membership and large-scale reconstruction assistance estimated at up to $800 billion. Provisions previously linked to Russian language rights and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have been replaced with broadly framed commitments to educational programs promoting tolerance and anti-racism.

Zelensky said Ukraine would hold elections as soon as possible after the agreement is signed. His presidential term officially expired more than a year ago, but elections have been repeatedly suspended under martial law.

Moscow has stressed that Ukraine’s government must be legitimate to sign a peace agreement. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said Moscow could consider halting deep strikes on Ukraine on the day elections are held, provided that millions of Ukrainians living in Russia are also allowed to vote.

However, Zelensky’s plan states that a full ceasefire would only take effect after all parties agree to the framework. Moscow has not yet officially responded to the proposal. Putin has repeatedly said Russia is open to negotiations but insists that any settlement must address what Moscow calls the root causes of the conflict and reflect the territorial reality on the ground.