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17 December, 11:54
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Ukraine to finalize peace plan soon, says Zelenskiy

Ukrainian President Voldoymyr Zelenskiy said Tuesday his country would soon finalize the peace proposal negotiated with Washington for ending the war with Russia. After this, US envoys will present the peace proposal to Russia.

Following negotiations held in Germany, US officials said on Monday said 90 percent of problematic issues between Russia and Ukraine had been resolved, adding that however it was not clear whether the peaceful solution of the conflict was any closer, especially considering the fact that Russia was not present at present peace negotiations.

Responding to reporters’ written questions on Friday, Zelenskiy said the US Congress would vote on the proposed security guarantees for Kyiv. Following this, Washington will hold consultations with Russia over the peace deal.

“We are counting on five documents. Some of them concern security guarantees: legally binding, that is, voted on and approved by the US Congress,” Zelesnkiy said, adding that the guarantees would “mirror article 5” of NATO.

Zelenskiy reiterated his earlier position that Ukraine retained its position not to make territorial concession to the Kremlin, especially regarding its Donbas industrial region that is partially occupied by Russia. “Americans want to find a compromise, [and] they offer a ‘free economic zone’ And I will emphasise once again: ‘free economic zone’ does not mean under the leadership of the Russian Federation,” Zelenskiy said.

US officials refused to spell out what the proposed security package might contain or how it would respond if Russia sought to capture additional territory after a peace agreement. They did, however, make clear that the United States had no intention of deploying ground troops in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany and eight other European nations said in a joint statement that forces from a “coalition of the willing” could help rebuild Ukraine’s military, protect its airspace, and promote maritime security, including by operating within Ukraine itself.