Zelenskyy unveils "peace plan"

Zelensky stated that he hopes Russia will respond to the new plan by the evening. Russia has not yet commented on this.

Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov did not respond to the specific content of the draft plan that day. He told reporters that the U.S. side is already well aware of Russia's main demands. He also stated that Russia is committed to "formulating our subsequent position through the existing channels that are still functioning in the near future and continuing to advance relevant engagements."

Multiple media outlets, including CNN, believe that in the new draft plan, Zelensky has sent "signals of compromise" on several key issues where disagreements previously existed.

Territorial issues

One of the main disagreements in the negotiations regarding the Ukraine crisis is the territorial issue. Zelenskyy's new draft plan avoids direct statements on the final political status of regions such as Donbas, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Instead, it only proposes a principle framework of "freezing the status quo and international supervision," indicating that this issue will be postponed for resolution. As for the arrangements concerning the Donbas region, including whether to establish demilitarized zones, "free economic zones," and whether to introduce special governance mechanisms at the local level, these currently remain only at the level of options.

The United States has not yet responded to the new plan. The New York Times believes that although Ukraine's stance has shown some compromise compared to before, even if it is fully accepted by the United States, it may still be rejected by Russia. Russia previously stated its intention to fully control the Donetsk region of the Donbas.

Regarding the fiercely contested Donetsk region, previous negotiations have explored various solutions. According to media reports, the "peace plan" reached between the United States and Russia last month required Ukrainian troops to withdraw from the areas they control locally, with plans to turn these places into a neutral demilitarized zone. In the new plan, Zelenskyy agreed to establish a demilitarized zone locally, but on the condition that not only Ukrainian troops withdraw from the areas they currently control, but Russian troops must also withdraw from the areas they control locally.

There are several fortified cities in the Donetsk region, which Ukraine views as a "fortress zone" to prevent Russian forces from advancing deep into the core areas of Ukraine from the east. According to The New York Times, militarily speaking, the consequences of abandoning the region would be unbearable for Ukraine. Surrendering control of the area not only involves complex issues such as relocating residents but would also deal a heavy blow to the morale of the entire nation.

Given the aforementioned reasons, Zelensky stated that whether a demilitarized zone will ultimately be established locally will be decided by a nationwide referendum in Ukraine. He also mentioned that at least a certain number of days would be required to complete the referendum, and therefore, a "genuine ceasefire" of a certain number of days is necessary; otherwise, it would be impossible to hold a referendum that yields legitimate results.

Nuclear power plant issues

Furthermore, Russia is likely to find it difficult to accept the arrangements for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant under the new plan. The draft proposal mentions that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant will be jointly operated by Ukraine, the United States, and Russia. After the full escalation of the Ukraine crisis in (year and month), the nuclear plant came under Russian control.

According to the Washington Post in the United States, Russian media and analysts are not optimistic about this new plan. Russian military blogger Alexander Kots believes that the plan is destined to "die young" because Russia will not accept provisions such as Ukraine maintaining a military force of tens of thousands and arrangements for the Donetsk region.

According to an article in the Russian newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda," the aforementioned plan is considered "false" because the draft content completely fails to mention the consensus reached during the meeting between the Russian and American heads of state in Alaska, USA, earlier this year.