Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hopes to reach an initial framework for ending the war with Russia when he meets with President Donald Trump on Sunday. He added that he's willing to bring the plan up for a public vote if Russia agrees to a ceasefire of at least 60 days, according to comments he made to Axios on Friday.
Zelenskyy is expected to meet Trump in Florida this weekend.
The latest plan is a 20-point proposal that would freeze the war on its current front line but open the door for Ukraine to pull back troops from the east, where demilitarized buffer zones could be created, according to details revealed by Zelenskyy this week.
The new plan formulated with Ukraine's input is Kyiv's most explicit acknowledgment yet of possible territorial concessions and is very different from an initial 28-point proposal tabled by Washington last month that adhered to many of Russia's core demands.
Zelenskyy told Axios he is still pushing to improve the terms and noted that if Ukraine is unable to secure a "strong" position on territorial issues, he would need to seek approval from the Ukrainian people.
But holding a vote would have major political, logistical and security complications, he said.
"It's better to not have a referendum than have a referendum where people do not have the possibility to come and vote," he argued.
On the issue of security guarantees, Zelenskyy told Axios, "I think we are ready with these documents," though there are some "technical things" to discuss further, including the duration of the agreement.
"I think we need more than 15 years," Zelenskyy said about a proposed 15-year pact that could be renewed. If Trump agrees, Zelenskyy said he would consider it a "big success."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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