US Proposed Demilitarized Zones in Donbas, Zelensky Says

The US proposed creating demilitarized zones in Donbas and on part of the Kinburn Spit as potential compromises in negotiations to end Russia’s war, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on Tuesday, Oct. 27.Ukraine was prepared to discuss the proposals, which appeared in different versions of negotiating documents, Interfax-Ukraine reported from the meeting.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“There was a proposal to create a buffer zone or a demilitarized zone on both sides of the line of contact,” Zelensky said.He traced the discussions back to the American 28-point peace plan, saying the ideas had subsequently evolved across different documents.For Donbas, the proposal envisaged a zone extending in both directions from the front line. Zelensky described Ukraine’s willingness to discuss it as a potential compromise.A separate proposal concerned demilitarizing part of the Kinburn Spit, in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region, which could remain under Ukrainian control.Other American suggestions addressed the future of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and possible territorial exchanges, described during negotiations as land swaps.Zelensky said Washington had raised demilitarized zones again during subsequent discussions, but there was currently no further progress on the territorial question.Territorial decisions require leaders’ talksThe president said territorial questions could not be settled through draft documents or preliminary contacts alone. They required meetings at the appropriate political level. Other Topics of Interest Zelensky Warns of Russia’s ‘Economic Marriage’ With US as Ukraine Feels ‘Home Alone’ Without Patriots Zelensky says Ukraine received just 12 US Patriot missiles a month in 2026 as disputes over intelligence and Russian diesel strain ties with Washington. He added that Ukraine remained prepared to discuss the issue because Russia repeatedly raised it and made it part of the negotiating agenda.The distinction is central to Kyiv’s position: Willingness to examine a negotiating proposal has not amounted to acceptance of Russian sovereignty over occupied Ukrainian territory.Reported US framework includes Donbas zoneThe remarks follow reports that Washington is developing a broader package combining security arrangements, economic incentives, and proposals for disputed territorial questions.A reported American framework included a demilitarized zone in Donbas, alongside an investment package and the prospect of EU membership for Ukraine in exchange for abandoning its NATO bid.The Economist’s account also described potential benefits for Moscow, including commercial agreements with American companies, sanctions relief, and restored political relations with Washington.Neither Ukraine nor the US announced that Kyiv had accepted those terms.The reported package followed consultations in Oslo on Oct. 20 involving Zelensky, US envoy Steve Witkoff, and European partners. Witkoff then met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Oct. 21.Kyiv seeks a ceasefire and lasting securityZelensky has separately said Ukraine is prepared to freeze the front line to halt the fighting while refusing to recognize occupied territory as Russian.In an interview reported on Saturday, Oct. 24, he rejected the suggestion that Russia already controlled 25% of Ukraine, putting the figure at 19.3%. Reaching the higher figure, he said, would require Ukraine to surrender the rest of Donbas.That position distinguishes stopping combat along existing military positions from legally ceding Ukrainian land.Kyiv is also pressing for enforceable security guarantees and sustained support for its armed forces to prevent another Russian invasion.Addressing Washington’s Hudson Institute on Friday, Oct. 23, Zelensky called for at least 10 years of international military financing. He said Ukraine still needed clear answers about how American and European partners would respond to renewed Russian attacks.He has argued that a ceasefire must be backed by a strong Ukrainian army and concrete allied commitments, including potential US guarantees modeled on NATO’s Article 5 and approved by Congress. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.