Zelensky allowed a referendum on the territories. Trump demands decisions before Christmas

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky allowed the possibility of putting the issue of control over territories in the east of the country claimed by Russia to a referendum, Bloomberg reported.

"The Russians want all of Donbass - we do not accept this. I believe that this question will be answered by the people of Ukraine. In the format of elections or in the format of a referendum, but there should be a position of the people of Ukraine," Zelensky told reporters in Kiev on December 11 (quoted by Bloomberg and Interfax Ukraine).

The statement came amid pressure that Kiev is under from the United States to agree to a peace plan that the administration of President Donald Trump has developed, Bloomberg noted. This plan, among other things, includes territorial concessions from Ukraine. Moscow insists that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which are still controlled by the Ukrainian army. According to Zelensky, the United States has discussed the possibility of recognizing the area as a "free economic zone," while Russia insists on a "demilitarized zone," Bloomberg added.

"The Americans are looking for the right format. Let's see how things turn out. Right now, in my opinion, a lot depends on our army," the Ukrainian president said in a Bloomberg statement.

Speaking about the timing of the peace deal, Zelensky noted that "there was no specific ultimatum framework of dates," but the U.S. "wanted, or maybe wants before Christmas, to have a full understanding of where we are with this agreement," Interfax-Ukraine reported. "The fact that everyone wants to finish as soon as possible is a fact. The US wants to finish faster - we hear that from them," Zelensky said, adding that the result is important for Ukraine.

The 20-point peace plan is a foundation and a conditional framework on the basis of which there will be "an appropriate number of documents", the Ukrainian president has said. According to him, the Ukrainian team is working on the draft of this plan on a daily basis. Ukrainian negotiators sent an updated version to Washington late in the evening of December 10, but this draft is not final, Zelensky emphasized in a Bloomberg statement.

"This plan is constantly being reviewed and adjusted. This is an ongoing process that continues now," Zelensky said.

Axios quoted a Ukrainian official (his name was not disclosed) as saying that the version of the plan that Kiev sent to Washington on Wednesday includes new ideas for resolving the disputed issues, including the territories and the status of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. Senior representatives of Ukraine, the United States, France, Germany and Britain plan to meet in Paris on Saturday, December 13, to discuss the peace plan, Axios added, citing sources.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor