Zelenskyy says proposals to end the war in Ukraine could be presented to Russia within days

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says proposals being for a deal to end the fighting in Russia’s of his country could be finalized within days, after which American envoys will present them to the Kremlin before possible further meetings in the U.S. next weekend.

A draft peace plan discussed with the U.S. during talks in Berlin on Monday is 鈥渘ot perfect鈥� but is 鈥渧ery workable,鈥� Zelenskyy told reporters hours after the discussions. He cautioned, however, that some key issues 鈥� notably what happens to Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces 鈥� remain unresolved.

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

Zelenskyy said that after the Berlin talks, 鈥渨e are very close to (a deal on) strong security guarantees.鈥�

The security proposal will be based on Western help in keeping the Ukrainian army strong, an official from a NATO nation said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

鈥淓uropeans will lead a multinational and multi-domain force to strengthen those troops and to secure Ukraine from the land, sea and air, and the U.S. will lead a ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism, with international participation,鈥� the official said.

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

If Ukraine seeks 鈥渕omentary, unsustainable solutions, we are unlikely to be ready to participate,鈥� he said.

鈥淲e want peace 鈥� we don鈥檛 want a truce that would give Ukraine a respite and prepare for the continuation of the war,鈥� he told reporters. 鈥淲e want to stop this war, achieve our goals, secure our interests, and guarantee peace in Europe for the future.鈥�

American officials said Monday there’s consensus from Ukraine and Europe on about 90% of the U.S.-authored peace plan. U.S. President Donald Trump said: 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e closer now than we have been, ever鈥� to a peace settlement.

Plenty of potential pitfalls remain, notably the land issue.

Zelenskyy reiterated that Kyiv rules out recognizing Moscow鈥檚 control over any part of the Donbas, an economically important region in eastern Ukraine made up of Luhansk and Donetsk. Russia’s army doesn鈥檛 fully control either but Trump has previously indicated that Ukraine will .

鈥淭he Americans are trying to find a compromise,鈥� Zelenskyy said, before visiting the Netherlands on Tuesday. 鈥淭hey are proposing a 鈥榝ree economic zone鈥� (in the Donbas). And I want to stress once again: a 鈥榝ree economic zone鈥� does not mean under the control of the Russian Federation.鈥�

Putin wants all the 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, such as enhanced air defense systems and long-range weapons.

Zelenskyy said that what鈥檚 driving Kyiv officials in the negotiations is for Russia to be 鈥渉eld accountable for what it has done 鈥� for this war, for all the killings, for all the suffering.鈥�

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.

鈥淥verall, there was a demonstration of unity,鈥� Zelenskyy said. 鈥淚t was truly positive in the sense that it reflected the unity of the U.S., Europe, and Ukraine.鈥�

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Emma Burrows in London contributed.

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