Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the US and Ukraine have reached agreement on several key issues aimed at ending the nearly four-year-long conflict. Zelensky also said that sensitive issues related to territorial control in Ukraine’s eastern industrial hub and the management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have still not been resolved. Zelensky said this while presenting a 20-point plan prepared by the US to Russian negotiators after lengthy talks in Florida recently. Zelensky said that a response from Russia is expected on Wednesday. The Ukrainian President briefed journalists on each point of the plan on Tuesday.
His statements were kept confidential until Wednesday morning. At the heart of these talks is the contentious territorial dispute involving the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Zelensky said, “This is the most difficult issue.” He added that these matters would be discussed at the leadership level. The management of Zaporizhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, located under Russian occupation, is also a contentious issue. The US is proposing to form a consortium with Ukraine and Russia, in which each side would have an equal share in the project. Referring to the Zaporizhia power plant, Zelensky said, “We have not reached any agreement with the US side on the issue of the territory of the Donetsk region and the ZNPP.” He added, “But we have achieved a considerable degree of convergence between most parties. In principle, we have reached agreement on all other points mentioned in this agreement.”
Zelenskyy said the more difficult discussions would include how far troops would have to withdraw, as per Ukraine’s proposal, and where international forces would be deployed. He said, “Because the Russians are not trusted, and they have repeatedly broken their promises, today’s line of contact is turning into a de facto free economic zone, and international forces must remain there to ensure that no one can enter there under any disguise.” Zelenskyy said that billions of dollars in investment is needed to restart the plant, including repairs to the nearby dam. Zelenskyy said these guarantees would be detailed in a separate bilateral document with the United States. He said this agreement would detail the conditions under which security would be provided, especially in the event of a renewed Russian attack, and establish a mechanism to monitor the ceasefire.