Zelenskyy: Peace Proposal Ready in Days12/16 06:07

   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says proposals being negotiated with 
U.S. officials for a peace deal to end his country's nearly four-year war with 
Russia could be finalized within days, after which American envoys will present 
them to the Kremlin before further possible meetings in the United States next 
weekend.

   KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says proposals 
being negotiated with U.S. officials for a peace deal to end his country's 
nearly four-year war with Russia could be finalized within days, after which 
American envoys will present them to the Kremlin before further possible 
meetings in the United States next weekend.

   Zelenskyy told reporters late Monday that a draft peace plan discussed with 
the U.S. during talks in Berlin earlier in the day is "very workable." He 
cautioned, however, that some key issues -- notably what happens to Ukrainian 
territory occupied by invading Russian forces -- remain unresolved.

   U.S-led peace efforts appear to be picking up momentum. But Russian 
President Vladimir Putin may balk at some of the proposals thrashed out by 
officials from Washington, Kyiv and Western Europe, including postwar security 
guarantees for Ukraine.

   Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Tuesday that Russia wants a 
comprehensive peace deal, not a temporary truce.

   If Ukraine seeks "momentary, unsustainable solutions, we are unlikely to be 
ready to participate," Peskov said.

   "We want peace -- we don't want a truce that would give Ukraine a respite 
and prepare for the continuation of the war," he told reporters. "We want to 
stop this war, achieve our goals, secure our interests, and guarantee peace in 
Europe for the future."

   American officials on Monday said that there's consensus from Ukraine and 
Europe on about 90% of the U.S.-authored peace plan. U.S. President Donald 
Trump said: "I think we're closer now than we have been, ever" to a peace 
settlement.

   Plenty of potential pitfalls remain, however.

   Zelenskyy reiterated that Kyiv rules out recognizing Moscow's control over 
any part of the Donbas, an economically important region in eastern Ukraine 
made up of Luhansk and Donetsk. Russia's army doesn't fully control either.

   "The Americans are trying to find a compromise," Zelenskyy said, before 
visiting the Netherlands on Tuesday. "They are proposing a 'free economic zone' 
(in the Donbas). And I want to stress once again: a 'free economic zone' does 
not mean under the control of the Russian Federation."

   The land issue remains one of the most difficult obstacles to a 
comprehensive agreement.

   Putin wants all the areas in four key regions that his forces have seized, 
as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, to be 
recognized as Russian territory.

   Zelenskyy warned that if Putin rejects diplomatic efforts, Ukraine expects 
increased Western pressure on Moscow, including tougher sanctions and 
additional military support for defense. Kyiv would seek enhanced air defense 
systems and long-range weapons if diplomacy collapses, he said.

   Ukraine and the U.S. are preparing up to five documents related to the peace 
framework, several of them focused on security, Zelenskyy said.

   He was upbeat about the progress in the Berlin talks.

   "Overall, there was a demonstration of unity," Zelenskyy said. "It was truly 
positive in the sense that it reflected the unity of the U.S., Europe, and 
Ukraine."