Zelensky outlines what Ukraine wants in peace plan, says referendum and 60-day ceasefire are necessary

Zelensky also said that the proposed 20-point peace plan could only be put to a vote if there was a ceasefire lasting at least 60 days.

Published on: Dec 29, 2025, 16:30:14 IST

By HT News Desk

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday said that any agreement to end the war with Russia must be approved by Ukraine through a referendum.

Zelenskyy stated that the proposed 20-point peace plan could only be put to a vote if a ceasefire lasting at least 60 days were in place.

Zelensky also said that the proposed 20-point peace plan could only be put to a vote if there was a ceasefire lasting at least 60 days, Reuters reported.

He further added that key issues remained unresolved in the peace proposal, including control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region and the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. These matters were discussed during his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Also read: Donbas still unresolved, European leaders looped in: Key points from Trump-Zelensky meet

Zelensky also criticised Russia, saying that its actions in Ukraine do not correspond to President Putin’s ‘peaceful rhetoric’ during talks with Trump, AFP reported.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Ukraine would need to withdraw its forces from the parts of Donbas it still controls if it wanted peace. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that failure to reach a deal could result in Ukraine losing more territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump spoke by phone on Sunday, ahead of Trump’s meeting with Zelensky in Miami. Peskov said another call between Putin and Trump was expected soon, but ruled out any planned conversation between Putin and Zelensky.

Also read| 'I see that happening': Trump hints at trilateral meeting with Putin, Zelensky

Peskov declined to comment on suggestions of creating a free economic zone in Donbas or on the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, saying it was inappropriate to discuss such matters at this stage.

Responding to remarks by Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, Peskov said Ukraine should withdraw its armed forces from Donbas. When asked whether this demand also applied to the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, he refused to provide details.

Russia currently controls around one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. According to Russian estimates, Moscow controls about 90 per cent of Donbas, 75 per cent of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, and smaller areas in the Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Russia claims Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as its own territory, though most countries recognise them as part of Ukraine.

Peskov also echoed Trump’s warning that Ukraine could lose more land in the coming months unless a peace deal was reached.

(With inputs from Reuters)

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