Zelensky says peace proposals could be presented to Russia within days

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says proposals being negotiated with US officials for a peace deal to end his country’s nearly four-year war with Russia could be finalised within days, after which American envoys will present them to the Kremlin before further possible meetings in the United States next weekend.

Mr Zelensky told reporters that a draft peace plan discussed with the US during talks in Berlin earlier in the day is “very workable”.

He cautioned, however, that some key issues — notably what happens to Ukrainian territory occupied by invading Russian forces — remain unresolved.

US-led peace efforts appear to be picking up momentum, but Russian President Vladimir Putin may baulk at some of the proposals thrashed out by officials from Washington, Kyiv and Western Europe, including post-war security guarantees for Ukraine.

The proposal for security guarantees will be based on Western help in keeping the Ukrainian army strong, an official from a Nato nation said.

“Europeans will lead a multi-national and multi-domain force to strengthen those troops and to secure Ukraine from the land, sea and air, and the US will lead a ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism, with international participation,” the official said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has repeated that Russia wants a comprehensive peace deal, not a temporary truce.

If Ukraine seeks “momentary, unsustainable solutions, we are unlikely to be ready to participate,” Mr Peskov said.

“We want peace — we don’t want a truce that would give Ukraine a respite and prepare for the continuation of the war,” he told reporters.

“We want to stop this war, achieve our goals, secure our interests and guarantee peace in Europe for the future.”

American officials said that there’s a consensus from Ukraine and Europe on about 90% of the US-authored peace plan.

US President Donald Trump said: “I think we’re closer now than we have been, ever” to a peace settlement.

Plenty of potential pitfalls remain, however.

Mr Zelensky reiterated that Kyiv rules out recognising Moscow’s control over any part of the Donbas, an economically important region in eastern Ukraine made up of Luhansk and Donetsk.

Russia’s army does not fully control either.

“The Americans are trying to find a compromise,” Mr Zelensky said, before visiting the Netherlands on Tuesday.

“They are proposing a ‘free economic zone’ (in the Donbas). And I want to stress once again: a ‘free economic zone’ does not mean under the control of the Russian Federation.”

The land issue remains one of the most difficult obstacles to a comprehensive agreement.

Mr Putin wants all the areas in the four key regions that his forces have seized, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognised as Russian territory.

Mr Zelensky warned that if Mr Putin rejects diplomatic efforts, Ukraine expects increased Western pressure on Moscow, including tougher sanctions and additional military support for defence.

Kyiv would seek enhanced air defence systems and long-range weapons if diplomacy collapses, he said.

Ukraine and the US are preparing up to five documents related to the peace framework, several of them focused on security, Mr Zelensky said.

He was upbeat about the progress in the Berlin talks.

“Overall, there was a demonstration of unity,” Mr Zelensky said. “It was truly positive in the sense that it reflected the unity of the US, Europe and Ukraine.”