Zelenskyy revealed 20 points of the peace plan: What the most challenging point entails.

According to ТСН: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented a peace plan for Ukraine, which consists of 20 points. The most challenging point is the 14th, which relates to the territories.

The head of state shared the details during a meeting with journalists.

"In the territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson, the position of the troops at the time of this agreement is de facto the recognized front line,"

— the president explained and elaborated on this point. He also pointed out the existence of an alternative option where the Donetsk region is not addressed.

"The second sub-point. The working group will meet to determine the relocation of the forces necessary to end the conflict and to establish the parameters of possible future special economic zones,"

— emphasized Zelenskyy, adding that the Russian Federation demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian armed forces from the Donetsk region.

Free Economic Zone

Washington is trying to find a compromise so that it does not appear to be a "withdrawal," as Ukraine opposes it. According to Zelenskyy, the goal is to create a demilitarized zone or a free economic zone to take into account the interests of both sides.

"A free economic zone is a potential opportunity for a sovereign state to choose such a path. We fought for one word — 'potential'. Such 'potential' can be economic zones within a state. That is our dialogue policy. Note that in point 14 'territories' all regions are listed. If all regions are included and we stand where we stand, then we will reach an agreement. If we do not agree that we 'stand where we stand', there are two options: either the war continues, or we need to decide something regarding all possible economic zones,"

— the president told.

Occupied Enerhodar and ZNPP

According to the president, the first economic zone concerns Enerhodar, and its creation is in the interests of Kyiv.

"The free economic zone must be a demilitarized zone. It is only about specific economic issues and special legislation. Therefore, I said that the RF must withdraw its army. At this factually temporarily occupied site (ZNPP — ed. note) there is only the Russian army, no Ukrainian army. The Russians must withdraw,"

— Zelenskyy explained.

Withdrawal of RF troops from four regions

The president emphasized that the Russian Federation must withdraw its troops from the Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions for the agreement to come into effect.

"Remember the story about 'territorial exchange'? Nobody could understand what that was until the end. Here is their proposal: They withdraw from these territories and want us to withdraw from Donbass, where a free economic zone will be created. If we reach a possible free economic zone in Donbass, we declare that we cannot do this according to Ukrainian law. Even potentially,"

— said Zelenskyy.

He also added that right now it is about a referendum, as only it can determine whether the people are ready for such a compromise.

Referendum

The president noted that Kyiv is ready to approach a referendum "with a full agreement that seals the end of the war."

"For a referendum, at least 60 days are required. We need a real ceasefire for 60 days. Otherwise, the referendum will not be legitimate. An illegitimate referendum is a breach within the state. Moreover, a referendum, basically, is a challenge. But under shelling, who would participate in a referendum? I deeply understand how many millions of people are necessary for a referendum to be legitimate,"

— he stated.

The president noted that in the temporarily occupied territories, Ukrainians cannot vote. In the controlled area, the preparation process for the referendum must take place under security conditions.

According to him, in variant A — "we stand where we stand" — a referendum is necessary. "If we 'stand where we stand', we can end the war based on this agreement and resolve the issue with the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. If, however, there is something else, then a signature is definitely not enough," — he added.

Zelenskyy also noted that the USA wants a referendum, and he explained to them that such a referendum must cover the entire document and not just individual questions.

The president explained that if the free economic zone is created, international forces will monitor it, and the need for its creation must also be approved by the council. Therefore, in addition to the referendum, a separate law will also be required.

"...According to the equivalent principle for the relocation of forces, international forces will be stationed along the front line to monitor compliance with this agreement. In case of a decision on creating such a zone, a special approval from the Ukrainian parliament or a referendum will be required...",

— Zelenskyy quoted the 14th point.

He also highlighted that both sides "agree to abide by the rules, guarantees, and obligations of the Geneva Convention of 1949 and its additional protocols, which fully apply in the territory, including universally recognized human rights..."

To remind: Volodymyr Zelenskyy first revealed the contents of the 20 points of the peace agreement being discussed between Ukraine, the USA, and Russia. In addition to the basic document, there are also separate appendices regarding the directions, particularly references to other possible documents or agreements.

The president also noted that Ukraine is ready to conduct elections as soon as possible after the conclusion of a security agreement, which is point 18 of the draft peace agreement. However, this process must take place in accordance with democratic standards and under conditions of complete security.