Zelensky unveils revised US-backed peace plan – DW – 12/24/2025

Here’s a closer look at some of the key points of the revised US-backed peace proposal:

• The state sovereignty of Ukraine will be confirmed by all signatories, including Russia.
• Russia and Ukraine to sign complete and unconditional non-aggression pact
• A monitoring mechanism will be set up to monitor the line of contact to maintain long-term peace. This mechanism will use space-based monitoring and early-warning systems for violations
• The US, NATO and European nations will provide Kiev with strong security guarantees that will reflect NATO’s Article 5, the collective defense clause of the alliance.
• Ukraine will keep its armed forces at the same current strength of 800,000 military personnel. An earlier US plan called for Kiev to cut the size of its military
• Russia will formally enshrine in all its essential laws a legally binding policy of non-aggression toward Europe and Ukraine. It would need to be approved by an absolute majority in the State Duma, Russia’s parliament.

• Russia will not prevent Ukraine from using the Dnipro River and the Black Sea for commercial purposes

• All remaining prisoners of war (POWs) will be exchanged on the principle of “all for all”. civilian prisoners and hostages will be returned

• After the signing of the agreement, Ukraine will have to hold elections as soon as possible

• The implementation of the legally binding agreement will be monitored and guaranteed by the Peace Council chaired by President Trump. Ukraine, Europe, NATO, Russia and America will be part of this mechanism. Sanctions will be imposed in case of violation

But issues of what to do with the territory of eastern Ukraine and the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant remain unresolved.

The new plan states that the ceasefire can only be effective if those two critical points are addressed.

Zelenksy suggested that the new draft could ultimately lead Ukraine to withdraw troops from Donetsk once the demilitarized zone is established.

“This is a document known as a framework – a fundamental document on ending the war, a political document between us, the US, Europe and the Russians,” Zelensky said.

But he said the “most sensitive issues” should be discussed with US President Donald Trump.

“Issues such as regional questions should be discussed at the level of leaders,” the Ukrainian president said.

Zelensky introduced the new plan during a two-hour press conference with reporters Tuesday night, with his comments barred until Wednesday morning.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has unveiled a new 20-point plan to end the war in Ukraine.

The 20-point plan is a revision of a 28-point proposal made by Washington in November, which the leaders of Europe and Ukraine considered favorable to Russia’s demands.

Kiev has managed to extract some concessions in the new plan, which came after intense discussions between negotiators from the US, Europe and Ukraine in recent weeks.

The key points to which Ukraine objected in the White House’s original plan have been addressed, namely that Kiev would have to immediately withdraw from the eastern Donetsk region and abandon its NATO membership bid. Also, under the new plan, lands currently occupied by Moscow will not be recognized as Russian.

While Zelensky said that on most points Ukraine and Russia’s positions have come closer, consensus has not been reached on two key points: control of territory in eastern Ukraine and control of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has unveiled a new, 20-point plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The announcement follows an increase in US-led diplomatic activity in recent weeks.

The plan includes a number of concessions to Ukraine relative to Washington’s original 28-point proposal, which was considered too favorable to Moscow.

The unveiling of the new peace plan comes a day after Russia attacked Ukraine with hundreds of drones and missiles, killing at least three people and cutting power to thousands across the country.

Stay tuned as we bring you the latest on efforts to end the nearly four-year-old war.