President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky presented a draft agreement for ending the war, which was developed by representatives of Ukraine, the USA, and Europe. The main document includes 20 points, and drafts of security guarantees and country restoration have also been prepared.
According to Zelensky, the positions of the Ukrainian and American sides on most issues have been significantly aligned, however, agreement has not been reached on two key points of the peace plan.
“We did not reach a consensus with the American side regarding the territory of Donetsk and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Nevertheless, on other issues, we found a compromise,” he added.
The President of Ukraine planned to discuss these contentious points in a meeting with Donald Trump.
The reaction of Russia to the proposed plan remains unknown, however, as Zelensky noted, it was expected on December 24.
What are the main points of the peace plan proposed by Volodymyr Zelensky?
20 Key Points
Point 1. Confirmation of Ukraine's sovereignty.
“We emphasize that Ukraine is a sovereign state, and all parties signing the agreement confirm this,” Zelensky noted.
Point 2. Agreement on non-aggression between Russia and Ukraine.
Zelensky explained that a monitoring mechanism will be established along the line of contact, including the use of space drones for control.
Point 3. Security guarantees for Ukraine.
Point 4. The Armed Forces of Ukraine will maintain a strength of 800,000 in peacetime.
This figure reflects the actual number of the Armed Forces of Ukraine but does not account for other forces such as the National Guard and National Police.
Russia had previously insisted on limiting the size of the Ukrainian army to 85,000 personnel.
In the Whitkoff-Dmitriev plan, which was published at the end of November, the size of the Ukrainian army was limited to 600,000.
Point 5. Security guarantees from the USA, NATO, and European signatory countries in accordance with Article 5 of the NATO Charter.
This section states that in the event of a new Russian invasion, all international sanctions against it will be restored. If Ukraine initiates military actions against Russia, it will lose its security guarantees.
Previously, this point contained a condition for compensation for the USA for providing security guarantees, but it was removed, Zelensky reported.
Additionally, the plan does not include a clause on Ukraine's non-alignment with NATO.
Russia opposes Ukraine's NATO membership, and such a point was present in previous versions of the plan.
“This agreement concerns all parties: the USA, Ukraine, Europe, and Russia. We believe that the decision on Ukraine's NATO membership should be made by NATO itself. And our choice has already been made,” Zelensky emphasized at a meeting with journalists.
Point 6. Russia must enshrine in its legislation a policy of non-aggression towards Europe and Ukraine.
Point 7. Ukraine will become a member of the EU and will receive temporary privileged access to the European market.
Zelensky believes that EU membership is one of the security guarantees for Ukraine.
The President intends to set the date for Ukraine's EU membership for 2027 or 2028.
Russia, as Putin has repeatedly stated, is not against Ukraine's EU membership but opposes its NATO accession.
Point 8. A global development package for Ukraine, which will be defined in a separate investment agreement.
Point 9. Provision of real compensation for damage caused by Russian aggression.
Several funds for the restoration of Ukraine are planned to be created with the aim of attracting 800 billion dollars, Zelensky reported.
No information was provided on whether frozen Russian assets would be used, Zelensky did not specify.
Point 10. After signing this agreement, Ukraine will expedite the process of concluding a free trade agreement with the USA.
Zelensky noted that the USA is also considering the possibility of concluding a free trade agreement with Russia, and after the war, Washington will likely gradually lift sanctions on Russia.
Point 11. Ukraine confirms that it will remain a non-nuclear state in accordance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Point 12. The operation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is one of the two issues on which no agreement has yet been reached.
According to the proposal from the USA, the management of the plant should be carried out jointly by three countries — the USA, Ukraine, and Russia.
The USA proposes to create a management mechanism whereby each country will own 33% of the shares, and the American side will be the main manager.
As Zelensky stated, such an approach is “unacceptable and unrealistic” for Ukraine — Kyiv does not wish to engage in joint commercial activities with Moscow.
Kyiv proposes that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant be managed by a joint venture involving the USA and Ukraine, where Ukraine will receive 50% of the generated electricity, and the remaining 50% will be distributed at the discretion of the USA.
However, Zelensky noted that there are many unresolved issues, including the restoration of the plant, which requires significant investments, the restoration of the dam, which will cost about 2 billion euros, and the demilitarization of the territory around the plant.
The issue of the occupied Enerhodar remains complex. Kyiv demands the withdrawal of Russian troops from the city, but there is currently no agreement on this issue, Zelensky added.
Point 13. Ukraine and Russia commit to implementing educational programs in schools aimed at fostering mutual understanding and tolerance for different cultures, as well as eliminating racism and bias. Ukraine will adopt EU rules on religious tolerance and the protection of minority languages.
Point 14. Territories — the second complex and contentious issue.
Ukraine emphasizes that the ceasefire must be recorded according to the actual deployment of troops at the time of signing the agreement, without any changes in territorial status.
“In practice, we are in a situation where the Russians want us to withdraw from the Donetsk region, while the Americans are trying to find a compromise to prevent this — we are against withdrawal,” Zelensky stated.
The USA proposed a compromise in the form of creating a demilitarized or free economic zone in the Donetsk region.
However, according to Zelensky, this can only be accepted through a referendum, the preparation of which will require 60 days after the actual ceasefire.
If an agreement can be reached on the format “we stand where we stand,” Ukraine will be able to end the war based on this agreement and resolve the issue with the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Otherwise, a referendum will be held.
“This was my last signal to the Americans, and the conversation continues,” he added.
For the agreement to come into effect, Russia will have to withdraw its troops from the territories of Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv regions of Ukraine.
According to Zelensky, the issues of territories and the creation of free economic zones should be resolved at the level of heads of state.
Russia insists on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from all parts of Donbas controlled by Kyiv. At a press conference on December 19, Putin reiterated that Moscow is ready to end the conflict on the terms described in his speech at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last year, which mentioned the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from four regions that Russia considers its own, although it does not fully control them.
Point 15. After reaching an agreement on future territorial issues, both Russia and Ukraine commit not to change these arrangements by the use of force.
Point 16. Russia will not hinder Ukraine's use of the Dnieper River and the Black Sea for commercial purposes.
A separate maritime agreement will be signed to ensure freedom of navigation and transportation. Within this framework, the Kinburn Spit will be demilitarized.
Point 17. The establishment of a humanitarian committee to address issues of prisoners of war, civilian detainees, and victims of the conflict.
Point 18. Ukraine must hold elections as soon as possible after signing the agreement.
Zelensky stated that presidential elections could be held within 60-90 days after the ceasefire, and parliament could ensure this legislatively without lifting the state of martial law.
When martial law is lifted, parliamentary and local elections can be held.
Putin noted at a press conference on December 19 that Russia is “ready to consider” the possibility of not striking Ukrainian territory on the day of the elections (the Kremlin considers Zelensky illegitimate, as due to the war, the next presidential elections were not held).
Point 19. Monitoring of the implementation of the agreement will be carried out by the Council of Peace chaired by President Trump. Ukraine, Europe, NATO, and Russia will be part of this mechanism, and sanctions will be imposed for violations.
Point 20. A complete ceasefire will take effect immediately after all parties agree to this agreement.
Zelensky added that Russia will have to agree to any version of the plan, “as Moscow cannot tell President Trump that it is against a peaceful resolution.”
Specific deadlines for signing the agreement have not yet been determined, however, the USA is striving to sign it as soon as possible, the President of Ukraine added.
In addition to the peace plan itself, Zelensky reported the existence of three more draft documents:
- a trilateral agreement on security guarantees (Ukraine, USA, Europe),
- a bilateral document — security guarantees for Ukraine from the USA,
- a roadmap for the restoration of Ukraine — a detailed document from the USA on the restoration and economic development of the country until 2040.
