Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly revealed, for the first time, the contents of a 20-point peace plan negotiated with the United States.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Zelenskyy described the document as a political framework intended to anchor future agreements involving Ukraine, the US, Europe, and Russia.
The plan is not a single text but a package. Alongside the core peace agreement, it references additional documents on security guarantees, economic recovery, and long-term development, a layered approach that suggests Washington and Kyiv are thinking beyond a ceasefire and towards a post-war order.
A Multi-Document Architecture: Security, Guarantees, and Long-Term Recovery
According to Zelenskyy, the peace plan is accompanied by three key documents. The first is a trilateral framework on security guarantees involving Ukraine, the US, and Europe. The second is a bilateral agreement providing direct US security guarantees to Ukraine.
The third is a roadmap for Ukraine’s prosperity, a joint vision with Washington for recovery and economic development extending to 2040.
This structure reflects a core Ukrainian concern. Peace without guarantees, Zelenskyy implied, is simply a pause in Russia’s ongoing war.
Core Principles of the Peace Plan
At its foundation, the plan confirms Ukraine’s sovereignty and establishes an unconditional non-aggression pact between Ukraine and Russia. A monitoring mechanism would be set up along the line of contact to oversee compliance.
Ukraine would retain a peacetime armed force of 800,000 personnel, a figure signalling both deterrence and realism. The US, NATO, and European partners would provide security guarantees, explicitly linking them to principles similar to Article 5.
If Russia were to attack Ukraine, a military response and the reimposition of sanctions would follow. If Ukraine were to strike Russian territory without provocation, the guarantees would be cancelled. The logic is stark, and deliberately so.
Ukraine’s non-nuclear status is reaffirmed, closing off speculation about deterrence outside conventional frameworks.
EU Membership and Economic Anchors
The plan explicitly ties Ukraine’s security to its European future. The security guarantees include membership in the European Union, with Kyiv pushing to set a concrete accession date. Short-term privileged access to the European market would precede full membership.
A separate global development package would underpin recovery. Several investment and reconstruction funds are envisaged, with an overall target of $800 billion. These would cover infrastructure, gas networks, reconstruction of liberated territories, and the extraction of natural resources.
After signing the agreement, Ukraine would accelerate negotiations on a free trade agreement with the United States. Washington, Zelenskyy noted, is discussing free trade not only with Ukraine but also with Russia, a detail that underlines the broader geopolitical scope of the talks.
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
One of the most sensitive issues remains unresolved: the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The US has proposed joint management by Ukraine, the US, and Russia, each holding 33 per cent, with Washington acting as chief manager.
Ukraine countered with a 50-50 model between Kyiv and the US while guaranteeing Ukraine half of the electricity output. Demilitarisation of the plant, the town of Enerhodar, and the Kakhovka HPP is non-negotiable.
Territories are described by Zelenskyy as the hardest point. The draft suggests acknowledging the current troop deployment line in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson as a de facto line of contact. Russia would be required to withdraw from the Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions for the agreement to take effect.
The US has floated a free economic zone as a compromise where agreement on territorial control is impossible. Kyiv insists that any such arrangement would require a referendum, ideally on the entire agreement, not isolated clauses.
Navigation, Humanitarian Issues, and Elections
Russia would commit not to obstruct Ukraine’s commercial use of the Dnipro River and the Black Sea. A separate maritime agreement would guarantee freedom of navigation, including demilitarising the Kinburn Spit.
A humanitarian committee would oversee prisoner exchanges and the return of civilian hostages, including forcibly deported Ukrainian children, and address the suffering of war victims. Ukraine and Russia would also introduce educational programmes aimed at promoting cultural tolerance and reducing prejudice.
Ukraine would hold elections as soon as possible after the agreement enters into force, potentially alongside a nationwide referendum to approve the deal.
Enforcement, Oversight, and Political Reality
The agreement would be legally binding, monitored by a Peace Council chaired by Donald Trump, with sanctions imposed for violations. A full ceasefire would take effect immediately once all parties agree, though security guarantees would only activate after ratification or referendum approval.
Zelenskyy confirmed he received a report from negotiators Rustem Umerov and Andriy Gnatov following their talks in Washington. According to the president, the US remains committed to pushing the process forward.
Whether this plan becomes a foundation for peace or another unrealised framework hinges not only on signatures but also on enforcement, trust, and time—three resources that are currently in short supply.
