UKRAINE, Dec. 29 — We believe it will be necessary for the 20-points peace plan for Russia-Ukraine war to be supported by a Ukraine-wide referendum, said Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, to reporters. He added that the referendum vote will be “the strongest historical signature for the power” of the peace plan.  

On Dec. 28, the US President Donald Trump met with Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago residence, Florida, to discuss a 20-point peace plan. According to media outlet RBC Ukraine, this negotiation was one of the most productive meetings between Zelenskyy and Trump. 

During the press conference after the meeting Trump said that the US and Ukraine have come to agreement on 95% of the 20-point peace plan, but there are still two issues that should be resolved, most likely meaning withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donetsk region and control over Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. 

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine and the US almost agreed on security guarantees. Trump added that European countries will take a lead in these guarantees. 

The 20-point peace plan was presented after the meeting between Ukraine and the US delegation in Berlin on Dec. 14. This plan was developed following numerous amendments from Ukraine and Europe to Trump’s 28-point peace proposal that was presented on Nov. 19. 

Initially, this proposal implied the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk region, the reduction of the Ukrainian army to 600,000, and restrictions on certain types of weapons. After discussions, Zelenskyy said that these points had been removed from the plan. 

Commenting on security guarantees Zelenskyy also added that previous guarantees didn’t work out. 

“There was the Budapest Memorandum, but it didn’t work. There were the Minsk agreements, but they led to a full-scale war,” the president said.

Zelennskyy added that this is why new guarantees must have real power. He also said that Ukraine has agreed with the US on security guarantees that must be supported by the US Congress and the Ukrainian parliament.

Bilateral agreements with European countries within the “coalition of the willing” are also to be ratified in the parliaments of partner states, Zelenskyy added.

Zelenskyy also said that he is ready to meet with Putin but consistency between words and actions is important. Currently, Putin is telling Trump that he wants peace, while continuing to shell Ukraine.

“On the one hand, Putin tells Trump that he wants to end the war and that this is his desire, but, on the other hand, he openly communicates in the media that he is ready and willing to continue the war, strikes us with missiles, speaks openly about it, rejoices in the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and gives orders to his generals on where to go, what to capture,” said Zelenskyy. 

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