Zelensky says Ukrainians will have to vote on handing land to Russia

by · Mail Online

Volodymyr Zelensky says the Ukrainian people will need to vote on whether to hand land over to Russia in any peace deal brokered by the US. 

As negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the US put their heads together to bring Vladimir Putin's nearly four-year invasion to an end, Zelensky said it was important for the people of his nation to decide on the outcome of discussions. 

He told reporters at a briefing today: 'I believe that the people of Ukraine will answer this question. Whether through elections or a referendum, there must be a position from the people of Ukraine.'

The president of said the status of the eastern Donetsk region and future control over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant were the two key points of contention in ongoing peace talks. 

Washington wants only Ukraine to withdraw its troops from parts of the Donetsk region, where it would install a demilitarised buffer between the two armies, Zelensky said.

'We have two key points of disagreement: the territory of Donetsk and everything related to it, and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. These are the two topics we continue to discuss,' Zelensky said. 

'[The US sees] Ukrainian forces leaving the territory of Donetsk region, and the supposed compromise is that Russian forces do not enter this territory ... which they already call a "free economic zone".' 

It comes after Germany's chancellor Friedrich Merz warned in a joint press conference with NATO chief Mark Rutte that the people of Ukraine ought to be the ones to decide on the fate of their country. 

Volodymyr Zelensky (pictured) says the Ukrainian people will need to vote on whether to hand land over to Russia in any peace deal brokered by the US
Ukrainian servicemen fire a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine December 9, 202

He said: 'It would be a mistake to force the Ukrainian president into a peace that his people will not accept after four years of suffering and death.'

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Merz said that further talks with the Americans were planned this weekend and that an international meeting on Ukraine 'could take place at the beginning of next week'.  

'Whether the American government participates or not very much depends on the joint drafts of papers which are currently being worked on,' he said.

Merz said his conversation with Trump on Wednesday had 'left the strong impression that he is ready to go down this path with us, because he knows that the Europeans and their interests have to be heard'.

While Merz did not say whether the proposal sent to Trump forms part of a wider peace framework, U.S. and Ukrainian officials are separately working through a broad package of ideas for a potential settlement. 

These include fast-tracking Ukraine into the EU by 2027, offering 'Article 5-style' U.S. security guarantees, creating a Korea-style demilitarised zone along the front line, exploring land-swaps, returning the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to Ukrainian control and unlocking up to £149billion in frozen Russian assets to rebuild the country.

Officials say the wider negotiation consists of three draft documents - a peace plan, a security-guarantee framework and an economic recovery package - though talks remain far from final. 

Zelensky indicated the talks were hastily arranged as Kyiv officials scramble to avoid getting boxed in by the US president's demands for a swift settlement.

A handout picture made available by the Dnipropetrovsk Region Prosecutor's Office shows Ukrainian firefighters extinguishing a fire after Russian missiles and drone strikes in the Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine
An employee walks at a thermal power plant damaged by recent Russian missile and drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location of Ukraine December 10

European governments are trying to help steer the peace negotiations because they say their own security is at stake.

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Trump said on Wednesday that he and European leaders had discussed proposals by phone in 'pretty strong terms', adding that Zelensky 'has to be realistic' about his country's position on a peace plan that would cede Ukrainian territory to Russia. He did not elaborate. 

Asked about the call, Merz shrugged off suggestions of a clash with Trump and insisted their conversation was 'constructive', with both sides showing 'mutual respect'.  

Trump's latest effort to broker a settlement is taking longer than he wanted. 

He initially set a hard deadline for Kyiv to accept his peace plan before Thanksgiving at the end of November, but previous Washington deadlines have already passed without a breakthrough. 

Russia is also keen to show Trump it is engaging with his peace efforts, hoping to avoid any further US sanctions.

Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday that Russia has relayed to Washington 'additional proposals ... concerning collective security guarantees' that Ukraine and Europe say are needed to deter future aggression.

'We understand that when discussing security guarantees, we cannot limit ourselves to Ukraine alone,' Lavrov said. He did not offer details of the Kremlin's proposals.