Ukraine ready to accept demilitarized zone in Donbas — Le Monde

According to the agency's sources, Kyiv agrees to the creation of a so-called demilitarized zone on both sides of the demarcation line, which is one of the key points of negotiations with the US. This concession has also been approved by Europe.

It is included in the revised American peace plan prepared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which was sent to US President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening.

French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also participated in the development of this proposal.

According to Kyiv, this demilitarized zone would force Ukrainian and Russian troops to withdraw their forces from both sides of the current front line in Donbas. This strategic region, a mining basin that Russia has been seeking since 2014, could come under the supervision of international forces, including the United States, to prevent any further Russian aggression.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian President's office, says it remains to be determined what weapons will be withdrawn and what powers the international monitoring missions will have on the ground. Ideally, Ukraine would like to see the US involved to ensure control, intelligence, and compliance with the agreements.

"This is a natural format for ending the conflict, given that part of the territory will, unfortunately, remain under de facto Russian occupation, and the line of demarcation will be established in any case," he says.

Buffer zone

According to Politico, European leaders are considering the creation of a 40-kilometer buffer zone between the Russian and Ukrainian front lines as part of a peace agreement.

In particular, according to Europe's idea, after the creation of a demilitarized zone, they want to send peacekeepers there to monitor compliance with the ceasefire.

But it is still unclear how many such peacekeepers need to be sent to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine and Russia have long since withdrawn their heavy equipment from the zero line to a distance of 10 kilometers. Therefore, the buffer zone already exists in fact.

At the same time, media reports say that the US peace plan stipulates that only Ukraine will withdraw troops from demilitarized territories. The US does not impose such a requirement on Russia.