Zelenskyy reveals 20-point peace plan to end war in Ukraine

WISE NEWS PRESS / KYIV, UKRAINE — Dec. 25, 2025

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly disclosed a new 20-point peace plan aimed at ending the ongoing war, following intensive negotiations with the United States to secure vital concessions for Kyiv.

The proposed draft, currently under review by the Kremlin, suggests freezing the current front lines while establishing a framework for troop withdrawals and the creation of demilitarized zones. This diplomatic breakthrough follows separate "productive and constructive" meetings between US, Russian, and Ukrainian officials in Florida last week.

NATO Membership and Territorial Integrity

During a two-hour press briefing, President Zelenskyy detailed how the new draft successfully removed previous demands for a total Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbas and the formal recognition of occupied territories as Russian soil. Instead, the plan accepts the current positions of troops in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson as the de facto contact line.

Notably, the requirement for Ukraine to legally renounce its NATO aspirations has been excluded from the revised text. Zelenskyy clarified that while membership remains a decision for NATO allies, Ukraine has refused to amend its constitution to bar future entry into the alliance.

Special Economic Zones and Referendum Conditions

A central feature of the plan is the American-proposed "special economic zone" model for specific parts of Donbas. Under this proposal, Ukraine would demilitarize these areas in exchange for a Russian guarantee not to enter them, alongside a Russian withdrawal from other regions such as Kharkiv, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk.

Zelenskyy emphasized that any agreement involving troop withdrawals must be ratified by a national referendum. To facilitate this democratic process, the President stated that a 60-day ceasefire would be an essential prerequisite.

Governance, Elections, and Nuclear Security

The draft also outlines a transition to presidential elections in Ukraine once a peace treaty is signed. While the US suggested joint management of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant by the US, Ukraine, and Russia, Zelenskyy expressed skepticism, stating that Russian participation in the facility's management is neither realistic nor appropriate.

As the Kremlin evaluates the proposal, Russian forces continue to launch drone and missile strikes, causing widespread power outages during the freezing winter months.

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