Zelensky Says No Common Vision on Donbas as US Pushes for Compromise

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Kyiv and Washington continue to disagree over the territorial provisions of the White House peace plan. According to the Ukrainian leader, several elements of the proposal require further discussion, including security guarantees for Ukraine and control over what he referred to as “eastern regions.” He confirmed that no agreement has been reached with the United States on the status of Donbas, including both the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Photo: wikimedia.org by Andrey Butko, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Donetsk meeting

“There is the vision of the United States, of Russia, and of Ukraine — and we do not have a common view on Donbas,” Zelensky said.

He emphasized that Kyiv insists on a separate security guarantees agreement with its Western partners, especially with the United States.

"There is one question that I—and all Ukrainians—want an answer to: if Russia starts a war again, what will our partners do?"

Trump Doubts Zelensky Supports the US Plan

As highlighted by Bloomberg, which interviewed Zelensky, the Ukrainian leader spoke shortly after President Donald Trump remarked that he was “a bit disappointed” that his Ukrainian counterpart had not yet examined the details of Washington’s peace proposal. The comment followed a two-hour phone call held on 6 December between Zelensky and US special envoy Steve Witkoff, joined by Jared Kushner. The call was initiated by the United States.

According to Axios, Witkoff and Kushner collected positions from both sides and pressed both Vladimir Putin and Zelensky to make concessions necessary for a potential agreement.

Territorial Issues Remain the Hardest Obstacle

A source familiar with the talks noted that territorial matters remain the most difficult part of the negotiations. Russia demands that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the territories of Donbas currently controlled by Kyiv, while the United States is attempting to devise alternative ideas to resolve the impasse. With all parties holding sharply different visions, the territorial question continues to block meaningful progress toward a settlement.