Zelenskyy says “very workable” peace plan to end Ukraine war could be presented to Russia within days

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says proposals being negotiated with U.S. officials for a peace deal to end his country’s nearly four-year war with Russia are “very workable” and could be finalized within days, after which American envoys would present them to the Kremlin before further possible meetings in the United States next weekend.

Zelenskyy warned late Monday that a draft peace plan discussed with the U.S. during talks in Berlin earlier in the day had not resolved some key issues, notably what happens to Ukrainian territory occupied by invading Russian forces.

U.S-led peace efforts appear to be picking up momentum. But Russian President Vladimir Putin may balk at some of the proposals thrashed out by officials from Washington, Kyiv and Western Europe, including postwar security guarantees for Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Tuesday that Russia wants a comprehensive peace deal, not a temporary truce.

If Ukraine seeks “momentary, unsustainable solutions, we are unlikely to be ready to participate,” Peskov said.

“We want peace – we don’t want a truce that would give Ukraine a respite and prepare for the continuation of the war,” he told reporters. “We want to stop this war, achieve our goals, secure our interests, and guarantee peace in Europe for the future.”

American officials on Monday said that there’s consensus from Ukraine and Europe on about 90% of the U.S.-authored peace plan. President Trump said, “I think we’re closer now than we have been, ever” to a peace settlement.

Plenty of potential pitfalls remain, however.

Zelenskyy reiterated that Kyiv rules out recognizing Moscow’s control over any part of the Donbas, an economically important region in eastern Ukraine made up of Luhansk and Donetsk. Russia’s army doesn’t fully control either.

“The Americans are trying to find a compromise,” Zelenskyy said before visiting the Netherlands on Tuesday. “They are proposing a ‘free economic zone’ (in the Donbas). And I want to stress once again: a ‘free economic zone’ does not mean under the control of the Russian Federation.”

The land issue remains one of the most difficult obstacles to a comprehensive agreement.

Putin wants all the areas in four key regions that his forces have seized, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory.

Zelenskyy warned that if Putin rejects diplomatic efforts, Ukraine expects increased Western pressure on Moscow, including tougher sanctions and additional military support for defense. Kyiv would seek enhanced air defense systems and long-range weapons if diplomacy collapses, he said.

Ukraine and the U.S. are preparing up to five documents related to the peace framework, several of them focused on security, Zelenskyy said.

U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey was upbeat about the progress in the Berlin talks. “We are at a major moment in this war. The US-led push for peace is advancing, and yesterday in Berlin there were signals of a progress in the peace talks which is further advanced than at any time during this war,” he said at a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.

Zelenskyy was also positive about the talks.

“Overall, there was a demonstration of unity,” he said. “It was truly positive in the sense that it reflected the unity of the U.S., Europe, and Ukraine.”

Speaking at the launch of the International Claims Commission for Ukraine in The Hague Tuesday, Zelenskyy added: “As long as our people remain in Russian captivity and until the Ukrainian children abducted by Russia are brought home, sanctions must limit Russia, until it shows respect for peaceful for peaceful life and the rights of its neighbors. And of course, of course, every Russian war crime must have consequences for those who committed them.”