'Many people want this': Trump makes new statement on 'peace plan' for Ukraine
Photo: Donald Trump, President of the United States (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump said that despite all the complexity, a peace agreement on Ukraine could work. He stressed that many people want to see how it would work, according to a White House broadcast.
During a conversation with journalists, Trump said there had been "a lot of progress" toward achieving peace in Ukraine.
"Let's see what happens. We're working on seeing if we can make a deal right now. We're going to we're going to see. We'll soon know," he noted.
Trump was also asked how a proposed "free economic zone" would function in Donbas and other territories seized by Russia, but he declined to comment.
He said the situation was very complex, but that a deal could work and that many people wanted to see it succeed. He added that his primary goal was to stop the deaths of around 25,000 people per month.
US peace plan and Donbas
At this stage, the United States, Ukraine, and Europe continue working on a peace plan and are discussing three key initiatives: a framework document, an agreement on security guarantees, and a document outlining principles for postwar recovery.
The most difficult issue remains territory, particularly Donbas. Washington is reportedly pushing for concessions, while Ukraine rejects such proposals.
According to Politico, European leaders are considering the creation of a 40-kilometer buffer zone between the Ukrainian and Russian front lines as part of a peace agreement.
Under the European proposal, peacekeepers would be deployed to the zone to monitor compliance with a ceasefire. However, it remains unclear how many peacekeepers would be needed.
Le Monde reported on December 12 that Ukraine had allegedly agreed to the creation of a “demilitarized zone” in Donbas. This was later denied by Ukrainian presidential communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn.
He explained that Ukraine had not agreed to such a plan and that various security models could be discussed only in theory, depending on details, monitoring mechanisms, and legal guarantees.
On the previous day, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov suggested that after a ceasefire in Donbas, there might be neither Ukrainian nor Russian troops present. He added, however, that Russia’s National Guard could be deployed there instead.
