Ukraine agreed to a major Christmas-time concession to find peace with Russia, as President Volodymyr Zelensky said he prays for the “eyes of our children” to “finally stop crying” after nearly four years of war.
Zelensky greenlit a plan to demilitarize the roughly 30% of the Donbas region it still controls in eastern Ukraine in a bid to seal a 20-point peace plan with the Trump administration — if Russia agrees to stop its war and embrace the full US proposal.
That area would be turned into a “free economic zone” — with Ukraine emptying out its troops from the area in exchange for Russia’s signature on the peace plan.
The plan would still avoid Kyiv having to formally recognize any Ukrainian land as Russian — a long-held and unyielding red line for Zelensky. And it would need critical sign-off from Russia as well as Ukrainian voters, who would be asked to approve a referendum.
Still, the announcement represents a major breakthrough in peace negotiations, as the issue of territory has always been the most difficult part of settling the war.
In his Christmas message, Zelensky honored Christ’s birth and said a prayer for peace.
“We ask for peace for Ukraine … that every Ukrainian family may live in harmony…That the eyes of our children, the eyes of our parents, our loved ones, our families may finally stop crying,” he said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
So far, the Kremlin has not responded to the proposal, at least publicly. However, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin last week told reporters that he would accept nothing less than Kyiv’s unconditional surrender. Putin has no plans to talk to President Trump, but would do so should Moscow agree to a plan, Moscow said Wednesday.
“Christmas holidays are coming up, in fact, they have already started. Life there slows down during this time. But if need be, we have the ability to arrange [a conversation] quite promptly [with Trump],” the Kremlin spokesman Dmytri Peskov said Wednesday, according to Russia’s state-run TASS news website.
The plan’s details came as leaders across the world spread messages of hope for peace in Ukraine in Christmas wishes for the country.
Pope Leo XIV, in a holiday address and press conference Wednesday, called for peace in Ukraine, asking for “one full day of peace throughout the world” after learning Moscow had refused US and Ukrainian proposals for a brief Christmas cease-fire.
Still, the war raged on Christmas Eve as Russia targeted a civilian high-rise apartment building in Chernihiv oblast, northwest of Kyiv, sending the building up in flames as families gathered to celebrate the holiday.
As evening fell, it became clear Christmas would not bring a silent night as a new volley of ballistic drones broke out — a consistent, nightly theme of this war.
Russia has been demanding that Ukraine cede the entirety of the Donbas to Moscow — as the White House continues to believe the Kremlin still wants to take the entire country.
The updated plan provides the most detailed insight into how peace could actually be achieved — and last. It is also accompanied by three other yet-to-be-released documents laying out specifics.
“The 20-point plan presents some concessions by Ukraine, and it represents the reality that they face as a nation and what’s acceptable,” former military intelligence official and Atlantic Council senior fellow Alex Plitsas told The Post on Wednesday.
“This 20-point peace plan … needs to be taken seriously,” he added.
While Ukraine still wants a few minor changes to the plan, the general mood is hopeful — with Kyiv officials describing it as the most realistic and acceptable proposal they’ve seen so far from Washington.
The documents are the result of special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s shuttle diplomacy over the past month, undertaking days of negotiations with both the Ukrainian and Russian sides.
Trump’s 20-point peace plan, as described by Zelensky
- Ukraine remains a sovereign, separate nation from Russia — and all signatories agree to this.
- A “monitoring mechanism” will be created to oversee the line of contact using space-based unmanned observations to watch for cease-fire violations.
- Ukraine will receive “strong security guarantees,” laid out in supplemental documents.
- Ukraine’s total military force will be capped at 800,000 personnel in peacetime.
- The United States, NATO and the European signatory states will provide Ukraine with security guarantees that mirror Article 5. If Russia re-invades Ukraine, there will be a coordinated military response and all global sanctions against Russia will be reinstated. If Ukraine invades Russia “or opens fire on Russian territory without provocation,” the security guarantees will be considered null and void.
- Russia will ratify by law policies of non-aggression toward Europe and Ukraine.
- Ukraine joins the European Union within a specific period of time, with Kyiv receiving privileged access to the European market in the meantime.
- A strong global development package for Ukraine, to be defined in a separate agreement on investment and future prosperity.
- Several funds will be established to address the recovery of Ukraine’s economy, the reconstruction of damaged areas and regions, and humanitarian issues.
- Ukraine will develop a free trade agreement with the US. The US also wants a free trade agreement with Russia, which would be set up separately.
- Ukraine pledges to remain a non-nuclear state.
- The US wants the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to be split in thirds by Ukraine, the US and Russia. However, Kyiv has proposed splitting its control and profits 50/50 with Washington — cutting out Moscow, which has struggled to safely oversee Europe’s largest nuclear plant since occupying it in the early weeks of the war.
- Both countries will implement tolerance-education programs in schools and across society.
- In the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, the line of troop deployment as of the date of this agreement would be recognized. This point is the most contentious part of the plan, Kyiv officials told The Post on Wednesday.
The US position, according to Zelensky, is that the war would freeze at the battle line, which would then become a de facto “line of contact” between the warring sides. International teams would then monitor for any military disturbances that cross either side of that boundary.
In exchange, Russia would have to remove all troops from any other regions of Ukraine — particularly in Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts where fighting is currently underway.
- The Russian Federation and Ukraine will not try to change those established boundaries by force.
- Russia will not block Ukraine from accessing the Dnipro River and Black Sea for commercial purposes.
- A humanitarian committee will be established to resolve outstanding issues, including the return of all prisoners of war on an “all-for-all” basis, as well as kidnapped children and political hostages.
- Ukraine will hold elections as soon as possible after the agreement is signed by all parties.
- This agreement is legally binding and its implementation will be monitored and guaranteed with a peace council with Ukraine, Russia and NATO members participating. Like the eventual peace board for Gaza, it will be chaired by President Trump. Any violations of the agreement would be punished with sanctions.
- A full cease-fire will take effect immediately upon signing.
