Zelenskyy unveils details of new peace plan, seeks Trump talks on territory

Zelenskyy unveils details of new peace plan, seeks Trump talks on territory President says negotiators secured gains on issues like army numbers, but control of Donbas ‘most difficult point’. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for a meeting with United States counterpart Donald Trump to discuss “sensitive issues” as negotiators inched closer to a final draft of a peace plan, nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy told reporters in an embargoed briefing on Tuesday that US and Ukrainian negotiators had reached a consensus on several points aimed at ending the war , but issues, including territorial control of Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland, remained unresolved. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 Ukraine “to create fear” with Russian General’s killing list 2 of 3 Why is Russia escalating attacks on Ukraine’s Odesa? list 3 of 3 Photos: Ukraine deploys low-cost drones to counter Russia’s aerial attacks “We are ready for a meeting with the United States at the leaders’ level to address sensitive issues. Matters such as territorial questions must be discussed at the leaders’ level,” said the Ukrainian leader in comments released by his office on Wednesday. Zelenskyy’s briefing followed marathon talks in the US state of Florida on the 20-point plan, as Russia reviewed the latest draft. The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been briefed by envoy Kirill Dmitriev, and that Moscow was formulating a response. Donbas ‘most difficult point’ Kyiv has been pressing Washington to modify Trump’s peace plan, which had initially been criticised as a Kremlin wish list, including demands that Ukraine cede more territory, accept curbs on its forces and give up on joining the NATO military alliance. Zelenskyy said the latest 20-point framework draft was a considerable evolution on the earlier plan, with Ukraine keeping its army at its current strength of 800,000 at peacetime, and additional documents agreed with the US and European allies providing robust security guarantees. But despite the progress, Ukraine and the US have still not found common ground on territorial issues, particularly on control of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, known as the Donbas. This is “the most difficult point”, Zelenskyy said. While Kyiv has proposed “to remain where we are”, halting fighting at the current battle lines, Moscow wants it to withdraw troops from all of the eastern Donetsk region. Ukraine still controls about a quarter of the region and has rejected demands to give it up. With the Kremlin unlikely to abandon its maximalist territorial demands, the US has proposed a compromise arrangement that would transform disputed areas into free economic zones. Ukraine insists that any arrangement must be contingent upon a referendum. Additionally, there is still no agreement on the fate of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Zelenskyy said. Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is located in territory under Russian military control near the front line. The president said Kyiv was proposing a small economic zone there. “We are saying: If all regions are...

Preview: ~500 words