The United States and Ukraine have reached agreement on most elements of a proposed peace framework aimed at ending the nearly four-year war, but sharp differences remain over territorial control in eastern Ukraine and the future management of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy said a 20-point draft plan, prepared after lengthy talks in Florida, has been shared by the US with Russian negotiators. Moscow is expected to respond on Wednesday.
Briefing reporters, the Ukrainian leader said the proposal largely reflects Kyiv’s positions and combines political and economic measures to ensure security while supporting post-war recovery. However, he described disputes over Donetsk territory and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant as the most difficult issues, to be decided at the leaders’ level.
Russia continues to demand that Ukraine give up remaining parts of the Donbas region it does not control, a demand Kyiv has rejected. Moscow currently occupies most of Luhansk and about 70 percent of Donetsk.
To bridge differences, the US has suggested turning contested areas into free economic zones. Ukraine insists any such arrangement must be approved through a referendum, along with demilitarization of the area and deployment of international forces to maintain stability.
Zelenskyy said no consensus has yet been reached with Washington on Donetsk or the Zaporizhzhia plant, though agreement has been found on most other points.
Under the draft, the current contact line across five regions would be frozen once an agreement is signed. Ukraine proposes a 60-day ceasefire period to allow time for a referendum on any free economic zone.
The plan also calls for Russian troops to withdraw from Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy and Kharkiv regions, with international forces stationed along the contact line to monitor compliance.
The Zaporizhzhia plant remains another major sticking point. The US has proposed joint operation involving Ukraine, the US and Russia, each with equal shares. Kyiv has countered with a joint venture with the US, allowing Washington to decide how its share would be distributed. Zelenskyy said billions of dollars would be needed to restore the plant and related infrastructure.
The draft also includes strong security guarantees for Ukraine, similar to NATO’s Article 5, to be detailed in a separate bilateral agreement with the US. Monitoring mechanisms would rely on satellite and early warning systems.
Other provisions include maintaining Ukraine’s armed forces at 800,000 in peacetime, fixing a timeline for EU accession, accelerating a US-Ukraine free trade agreement, and launching a large reconstruction and development package aimed at mobilising up to $800 billion.
The proposal also envisages elections in Ukraine after the agreement is signed, as well as the release of all prisoners held since 2014 and the return of civilian detainees and children to Ukraine.