Global & US Headlines
Kyiv & Washington Seal 20-Point Draft; Zelensky Floats Reciprocal Donetsk Pullback
Between 22-25 Dec 2025, President Zelensky announced that a full 20-point peace framework with U.S./EU security guarantees is complete and, for the first time, offered to withdraw Ukrainian troops to create a demilitarised strip in Donetsk if Russia does the same.
Focusing Facts
- Draft caps Ukraine’s peacetime army at 800,000 soldiers, a figure Zelensky said replaced a prior U.S. demand for force reductions.
- Two security texts—a Ukraine-EU-U.S. framework and a separate Ukraine-U.S. treaty—are ready for submission to the U.S. Congress with classified annexes.
- Zelensky named Kramatorsk and Sloviansk as cities that could fall inside the proposed international-monitored buffer zone, contingent on equal Russian withdrawal.
Context
Moments like this recall the 1953 Korean armistice talks, when a DMZ was traded for a cease-fire under heavy U.S. stewardship; both cases revolve around freezing lines rather than resolving sovereignty. Since the failed Minsk accords of 2014-15 and multiple aborted cease-fires, Ukraine’s position has inched from insisting on full territorial restoration toward conditional pullbacks, mirroring a broader post–Cold War trend where smaller states accept external guarantors (Bosnia’s Dayton 1995, Kosovo 2008) for security. The draft’s Article-5-style guarantees, if enacted, would hard-wire Western involvement in Eastern Europe for decades, effectively redrawing the continent’s security map. Conversely, if Moscow rejects even this face-saving buffer, the episode may simply underscore a century-long lesson—from Versailles 1919 to today—that peace texts mean little without mutually acceptable power balances.
Perspectives
Ukrainian state-aligned outlets
e.g., Ukrinform-EN — They stress that a full 20-point peace blueprint and security-guarantee package is already "ready" and that 90 % of Kyiv’s demands are met, portraying the talks as a solid step toward a near-certain deal. By foregrounding progress and downplaying remaining disputes, they serve Kyiv’s interest in projecting diplomatic momentum, reassuring domestic audiences and partners that Ukraine is negotiating from strength.
International wire & Commonwealth media
AP via WAOW, NZ Herald, etc. — They acknowledge Zelenskyy’s concessions but underscore that huge gaps remain—especially Russia’s demand for full control of Donetsk—casting doubt on whether the plan can succeed. Emphasis on obstacles and Kremlin scepticism creates a drama-filled narrative that maintains readership engagement while avoiding overt advocacy, yet can make progress seem less tangible than Kyiv claims.
Anglo-Indian business & conservative press
The Telegraph, Business Standard, Times of India — They frame Zelenskyy’s offer of a demilitarised zone as a significant Ukrainian climb-down, noting it follows a U.S. draft widely viewed as favouring Moscow and still unlikely to satisfy the Kremlin. Highlighting Ukrainian concessions and U.S. leverage caters to audiences wary of Western interventionism and positions the story as another example of great-power bargaining at Kyiv’s expense.