Peace Plans Ready for Presented to Moscow In the Coming Days, States Ukraine's President

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that proposals for a ceasefire agreement negotiated with US officials are poised to be completed in a matter of days. Afterward, American envoys are expected to submit the terms to the Kremlin.

Negotiations in Berlin Produce Major Headway, With Critical Obstacles Persist

After two days of discussions in Berlin, American negotiators reported on Monday that approximately “90%” of the disputed points between Moscow and Kyiv had been settled. Despite this optimistic assessment, the path to ending the conflict is not guaranteed, particularly because the Russian lack of participation from the ongoing discussions.

Early Tuesday morning, Zelenskyy said that the American legislature is expected to consider security guarantees and that a finalised set of documents might be ready “today or tomorrow.” Subsequently, the U.S. would engage in discussions with Russian representatives, potentially followed by high-level meetings as soon as this weekend.

Defense Assurances and International Support

“The plan involves five key agreements. Some of them concern binding security pledges: legally binding, that is, approved and approved by the US Congress,” Zelenskyy remarked to the press. He stated that these guarantees would “reflect the collective defense clause” of the Nato alliance.

Earlier, American representatives declined to give precise information regarding the probable makeup of the defense package or the consequences if Russia sought to capture more land following an agreement. Officials did confirm that the U.S. does not intend to deploy troops on the ground in the country.

Leaders from the UK, France, Germany and several additional European nations said in a unified declaration that forces belonging to a “coalition of the willing” could “help with the rebuilding of Ukrainian military capabilities, in securing Ukrainian airspace, and in supporting maritime security, including through operating inside Ukraine.”

They stopped short, however, of suggesting these measures would serve as guarantees equivalent to Nato’s article 5. In any case, there is little sign that Russia is near accepting the type of package under discussion between the U.S. and Ukraine.

Moscow's Stance and Land Issue

On Tuesday, the Russian government said it had not received the specifics of the proposals on security assurances. Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, asserted that Russia would not agree to troops from Nato countries operating in Ukraine “under any circumstances.”

The primary obstacle between the Ukrainian team and their American counterparts continues to be the territorial question. One proposal involves Ukraine relinquishing the areas of the Donbas it currently controls, while Ukraine prefers to maintain the current front lines. “Talks continue on the territorial issue. You know, it is one of the key issues. At this point, there is no agreement on it yet,” Zelenskyy remarked following the Berlin discussions.

American mediators, headed by two senior advisors, has suggested a middle-ground proposal. Under this plan would see Ukrainian forces pull back, but Russian troops would not advance, with the demilitarised area becoming “an open economic area.” Russia has indicated it could use internal security units rather than the army in such an area, implying it would still seek to maintain authority there.

“Let me reiterate: a ‘special economic zone’ does not mean under the control of Russia. Not legally or in practice will we recognise the Donbas region – its currently occupied areas – as Russian. Absolutely,” stated Zelenskyy.

Path Forward and Possible Scenarios

The way ahead is uncertain how the two sides will proceed on the territorial issue. The Ukrainian leader has previously suggested that a negotiated arrangement like a special economic area could be conceivable if the citizens of Ukraine approved it in a national vote. The major impediment is likely to be when the proposals are put to Russian president Vladimir Putin, who has given no sign he is willing to compromise on his war aims.

“If Putin rejects everything, we will end up with precisely the situation we are experiencing on our plane right now – turbulence,” commented Zelenskyy, recording the comments after his plane departed from Berlin.

“I believe the United States will increase sanction pressure and provide us with more weapons if he rejects everything. In my view, that would be a fair request from Ukraine to the Americans,” he added.