Could peace – or at least the absence of war – finally come to Ukraine this Christmas? The two warring powers took small steps toward that goal over the last several hours, although as always, Ukraine had to step farther.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky offered a major concession today in the framework of Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan. He has agreed to a demilitarized Donbas region with a plebiscite after a successful ceasefire:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be willing to pull troops out of the eastern region of Donetsk and create a demilitarized free economic zone as part of a potential peace deal, provided Russia took similar steps to withdraw from areas it controls.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Zelensky said the proposal and other aspects of a 20-point plan would be put to a referendum.
The territorial dispute across the Donbas, the eastern flank of Ukraine where some of the heaviest fighting is raging, is one of the chief sticking points in the latest version of a plan to end the conflict drafted with the U.S. Kyiv worries that surrendering fortified positions in the area could make it easier for Russia to stage further attacks. Several attempts have already been made to break the impasse, but to no avail. …
Zelensky said Kyiv is now mostly aligned with Washington on the plan, but that Ukraine says a meeting with President Trump is needed to iron out some of the elements. He said he was also ready to explain Ukraine’s position to the Russian side as well.
The US has proposed designating the Donbas as a “free economic zone” with no military presence. Zelensky had resisted this idea, not just because of the military implications but also because Ukrainians would likely reject the loss of territory through a war of conquest. The problems with the “military implications” (ie, defensible positions against a future Russian invasion) are that (a) Russia has effectively occupied the region since 2014, and (b) it didn’t stop Russia from seizing it then or now.
Trump’s plan for a “free economic zone” tries to split the baby. Neither side would have sovereignty per se, although Russian control would likely be the result, thanks to the heavily Russian demographics in the region. It gives both sides a face-saving way to pull troops back and dial down the tensions long enough to settle the rest of the conflict without continuing the four-year meatgrinder that has settled nothing at all.
Zelensky offered a surprisingly specific vision of how that would play out on the ground:
Detailing his country’s position, the Ukrainian president said Russia would have to engage in a withdrawal of its forces equivalent to ground ceded by Ukrainian troops, effectively establishing a demilitarized zone around some of the present front lines.
“If we establish a free economic zone here, and it envisages a virtually demilitarized zone, – meaning heavy forces are removed from this area – and the distance, for example, is 40 kilometers (it could be five, 10, or 40 kilometers) – then if these two cities, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, are our free economic zone, the Russians would have to pull back their troops accordingly by five, 10, or 40 kilometers,” Zelensky said.
Will Vladimir Putin agree to it? Putin has rejected the 20-point plan already, but the Kremlin was notably non-reactive to Zelensky’s concession this morning:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been briefed about contacts with President Donald Trump’s envoys on U.S. proposals for a possible Ukrainian peace deal and Moscow will now formulate its position, the Kremlin said on Wednesday. …
Putin has said in recent weeks that his conditions for peace are that Ukraine should cede the around 5,000 square km of Donbas that it still controls and that Kyiv should officially renounce its intention to join the NATO military alliance.
Asked about the format of the documents brought back to Moscow by Dmitriev from Miami, Peskov said it was not appropriate to speak to the media about it.
While Moscow mulls Zelensky’s carrot, Putin wants more specifics on sanctions relief from the US and EU to be part of the deal. The EU countered with a stick this week, though:
European leaders agreed early on Friday morning to keep Ukraine funded for two years with a loan of 90 billion euros, or about $105 billion, though they failed to agree on their first-choice option of using Russian state assets frozen on the continent as backing for the loan. …
The funding plan comes at a crucial moment, as Ukraine negotiates potential peace terms with the United States. And timing was important, with Ukraine expected to begin running out of money early in 2026.
European officials had painted the funding as an opportunity to show that they are powerful actors on the global stage — and strong partners for President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who welcomed the decision in a social media post on Friday.
The EU had strongly considered using frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine, which amount to €200 billion. They decided to create a loan instead, but the debate certainly put Moscow on notice that any more delays on a peace agreement would be very costly to Putin and his oligarchic cronies.
Perhaps Santa Claus will have a pleasant surprise for us this Christmas season. After four years of carnage for no purpose and no gain, even the Russians may want more than a lump of coal in their stockings.
Editor’s Note: Donald Trump is America’s Peace Time President. Support and follow our latest reporting on the president’s efforts to end conflicts around the world.
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