US Proposed Demilitarized Zones in Donbas, Zelensky Says

A demilitarized zone is an area where military activity is restricted or removed. Its purpose is to create separation between opposing forces and reduce the chance of renewed fighting. In this proposal, the zone would not automatically transfer sovereignty or settle the territorial dispute.

For Donbas, the proposed buffer zone would extend in both directions from the line of contact. That means the area would cover territory on both sides of the current front, rather than existing only behind Ukrainian positions. The proposal appeared in different negotiating documents linked to the reported American 28-point peace plan.

Ukraine said it was prepared to discuss the idea as a possible compromise. However, Zelensky said territorial questions still required talks between national leaders. The proposal had not produced further progress, and neither Ukraine nor the United States announced that Kyiv had accepted it.

The proposed arrangements concerned two main areas. One was Donbas, where the suggested zone would extend in both directions from the line of contact. The other was part of the Kinburn Spit in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region.

The Kinburn proposal was different because that part of the spit could remain under Ukrainian control while being demilitarized. In Donbas, the article describes a buffer zone on both sides of the front line, but it does not say that either side would legally surrender sovereignty there. The proposals appeared in different versions of negotiating documents.

These ideas remained subjects for discussion rather than settled terms. Zelensky said Washington raised demilitarized zones again in later talks, but there was no further progress on the territorial question. He stressed that territorial decisions required negotiations at the appropriate political level.

Zelensky said Russia currently controlled 19.3% of Ukraine. He rejected a reported figure of 25%, making the difference 5.7 percentage points of the country. The article does not provide a square-kilometre figure for that gap.

Zelensky linked the higher figure to Donbas. He said Russia could reach 25% only if Ukraine surrendered the rest of Donbas. This places the numerical dispute inside a larger disagreement over whether stopping the fighting would also require giving up additional Ukrainian territory.

The figures describe control, not legal recognition. Zelensky has said Ukraine could freeze the front line while refusing to recognize occupied territory as Russian. The article also says that territorial decisions cannot be settled by draft documents alone and require talks between national leaders.

Creating a demilitarized zone could reduce fighting by restricting military activity around the line of contact. It would aim to separate Russian and Ukrainian forces and make a ceasefire easier to maintain. However, the article presents this as a negotiating proposal, not an implemented arrangement.

In Donbas, the zone would extend on both sides of the front line. That could turn existing military positions into a temporary separation area. The Kinburn proposal similarly involved demilitarizing part of the spit while leaving it under Ukrainian control. These examples show that demilitarization and territorial ownership were treated as separate questions.

Ukraine’s security would still depend on enforcement and outside guarantees. Zelensky has called for a strong Ukrainian army, sustained support, and possible US guarantees modeled on NATO’s Article 5. No final territorial agreement or further progress had been announced.

Territorial decisions affect sovereignty, borders, security, and the future status of occupied land. For that reason, Zelensky said they could not be settled through draft documents or preliminary contacts alone. Such documents can outline options, but they do not constitute a final political decision.

The reported proposals included a Donbas buffer zone, a demilitarized part of the Kinburn Spit, possible land swaps, and arrangements for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. These subjects could be explored by envoys and negotiating teams. But agreeing to discuss them would not mean accepting Russian sovereignty over occupied Ukrainian territory.

Zelensky said the issue required meetings at the appropriate political level. He also said Ukraine remained willing to discuss it because Russia repeatedly raised territorial questions and made them part of the agenda. At the time described, no further territorial progress had been reported.

The reported US framework was broader than a territorial map. It combined security arrangements, economic incentives, and proposals for disputed areas. That matters because negotiations could involve trade-offs across security, economic relations, alliance policy, and territorial questions rather than a single ceasefire term.

The package reportedly offered Ukraine an investment plan and the prospect of EU membership in exchange for abandoning its NATO bid. It also included a Donbas demilitarized zone. Potential benefits for Moscow included sanctions relief, commercial agreements with American companies, and restored political relations with Washington. The article also mentions the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and possible land swaps.

Neither Ukraine nor the United States announced that Kyiv had accepted these terms. The reported framework followed talks in Oslo involving Zelensky, Steve Witkoff, and European partners. Witkoff later met Vladimir Putin. Further progress would depend on political-level negotiations and credible security arrangements.

Freezing a conflict means stopping or limiting combat where forces currently stand. It can halt fighting without resolving the legal status of the territory. In the article, Zelensky says Ukraine is prepared to consider freezing the front line while rejecting recognition of occupied Ukrainian land as Russian.

Legal recognition would be a separate and more permanent political act. It would mean accepting that the occupied territory belongs to Russia rather than Ukraine. The article stresses that willingness to examine a buffer zone or other proposal has not amounted to that acceptance. A demilitarized zone could therefore function as a separation arrangement without deciding sovereignty.

This distinction is central to Kyiv’s position. Ukraine seeks a ceasefire backed by a strong army and enforceable international guarantees. The reported negotiations had not resolved the territorial question, and Zelensky said final decisions required talks between national leaders rather than preliminary contacts alone.