Zelenskyy’s “Christmas Deadline” for Peace Plan Leaves Territorial Disputes Unresolved

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated Thursday that although the United States has not issued an ultimatum with fixed dates on its peace plan to end the war with Russia, it does want “full clarity on where we stand with this agreement by Christmas.”

The president confirmed Ukraine delivered a revised 20-point peace plan earlier in the week, which includes new ideas regarding territories and control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Russia has insisted on maintaining control of the plant.

Zelenskyy said there were no specific ultimatum frameworks or dates from the United States. “The fact that everyone wants to end this as soon as possible is true,” he added. “The U.S. wants to end it faster – we hear this from them.”

“I think they really wanted, and perhaps still want, to have full clarity on where we stand with this agreement by Christmas. For us, the result matters. Of course, we would like it earlier, but the result is what matters,” Zelenskyy said.

The president clarified that the United States still requires Ukraine to withdraw from the Donbas region entirely, but he has suggested Russia would not advance into ceded territories and would instead leave them as “free economic zones.” He acknowledged the United States lacks clarity on who would govern these areas or how Russian forces could be prevented from moving in.

“It is probably fair to ask: ‘If someone is supposed to pull back on one side, as they want from the Ukrainians, why does the other side in the war not pull back the same distance in the opposite direction?'” Zelenskyy remarked.

Ukraine has not accepted the proposal and continues to believe fighting should stop along current lines. Additionally, Zelenskyy noted that while the U.S. plan calls for Russia to withdraw from “some pockets of our regions,” Moscow insists it will remain in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.