Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet US President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday, Dec. 28, to hammer out the details of a fresh 20-point peace plan,
Kyiv Post reports.
In a comment to US news outlet Axios, Zelensky said that he would propose to Trump to put the entire peace plan to a referendum if Russian leader Vladimir Putin agrees to a ceasefire of at least 60-days.
Putin and Russian officials speaking for him have repeatedly said that Moscow would not cease fire until a peace plan that addressed “root causes” was agreed upon.
Holding a referendum, even in the event of any ceasefire, would have political, logistical and security risks. Ukrainian officials assess that 60 days is the minimum for preparation.
The Ukrainian president’s expressed willingness to hold a referendum – which is unlikely, at best – might be viewed as a negotiating tactic. Over the past year, Zelensky has been criticized by pro-Trump allies for his unwillingness to hold elections during wartime. Even Trump has urged him as recently as two weeks ago to call some sort of election.
According to Axios, the US has proposed a 15-year pact that could be renewed. “I think we need more than 15 years,” Zelensky said, adding he would consider it a “big success” if Trump agreed with that during their meeting.
Zelensky noted that he expects to agree with the US president on a framework for ending the war. At the same time, if the parties cannot reach a “strong” position on the territorial issue, he will need the consent of the Ukrainian people.
