The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, admitted for the first time, this Thursday, December 11, the possibility of holding a referendum to decide on the ceding of territories to Russia, stressing that the Ukrainian population “must have a voice” in the decision.
This is a change in stance by the Ukrainian leader, who until now has always publicly rejected the possibility of ceding territories to the Russians, one of Vladimir Putin’s demands to end the conflict.
Zelensky confirmed that he had delivered to the United States an updated version of the peace plan for Ukraine, which includes 20 points and contains proposals on security, reconstruction of the territory and an Army with up to 800,000 soldiers.
According to the Ukrainian leader, the Trump administration proposed the creation of a “free economic zone” in the Donbas, an area from which the Americans suggest that Kiev withdraw. He also added that Russian withdrawals from areas in Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipro are still being discussed, according to SkyNews.
The Ukrainian president denied the existence of a Christmas deadline for concessions, stating that the US just wants “an understanding of the status” of the regions.
European leaders have recently reinforced that only the Ukrainian government can decide on its territory, while the “Coalition of the Willing”, which brings together European countries willing to help Ukraine, analyzes the progress of the negotiations this Thursday.