Three-quarters of Ukrainians oppose a peace plan demanding that Ukraine withdraw from Donbas, a poll finds. Ukraine rejects the proposal to establish a demilitarized “free economic zone” in Donbas, Politico says. The Berlin talks are difficult with the U.S. being unwilling to compromise on its peace proposal draft, WSJ says.
Three-quarters of Ukrainians oppose peace plan demanding that Ukraine withdraw from Donbas, poll finds
Three-quarters of Ukrainians deem totally unacceptable a peace plan that demands that Ukraine withdraw its troops from Donetsk region and cap the size of its military in exchange for no concrete security guarantees, a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology between November 26 and December 13 found.
The pollster presented to respondents simplified versions of peace proposals drafted by Russia on the one hand and the EU and Ukraine on the other without identifying which one is being quoted.
“The Russian plan remains totally unacceptable for 75 per cent of Ukrainians,” the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology said, adding that the share remained unchanged from September 2025. “Only 17 per cent of Ukrainians are ready to accept the Russian peace proposal,” the pollster said, adding that this share has not changed.
At the same time, 72 per cent of Ukrainians say they are willing to (reluctantly) accept a peace plan drafted by the EU and Ukraine. Only 14 per cent totally reject it.
Some 63 per cent say they are ready to tolerate the war as long as it takes, almost unchanged from September’s 62 per cent. One per cent said they were ready to tolerate it for around a year. Fifteen per cent estimated the time as between several months and half a year, a decrease from 21 per cent in September. At the same time, the share of undecided respondents increased from 13 per cent to 21 per cent.
Only 9 per cent of Ukrainians say they expect the war to end by early 2026, a decrease from 18 per cent in September. Fourteen per cent say the war could end in the first half of 2026, almost unchanged from September’s 15 per cent. Eleven per cent point to the second half of 2026, almost unchanged from September’s 12 per cent. Thirty-two per cent expect the war to end in 2027 or later, unchanged from September. About one-in-three Ukrainians (33 per cent) were undecided, an increase from 23 per cent in September.
Just 9 per cent of Ukrainians support elections before a ceasefire, a decrease from 11 per cent in September. A quarter (25 per cent) support elections after a ceasefire with security guarantees, an increase from 22 per cent in September.
A majority of Ukrainians (57 per cent) say the elections are only possible after the war ends and a final peace deal is made. The September share stood at 63 per cent.
The survey was conducted through computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI), using a random sample of cell phone numbers. The total sample of the poll consists of 547 Ukrainians ages 18 and older who live in government-controlled Ukrainian territory. Some of the respondents are internally displaced. The pollster did not speak to Ukrainians who left the country after the invasion.
“Formally, under normal circumstances, the statistical error of such a sample (with a probability of 0.95 and taking into account the design effect of 1.3) did not exceed 5.6% for indicators close to 50%, 4.8% for indicators close to 25%, 3.4% for indicators close to 10%, 2.5% for indicators close to 5%,” the pollster said, adding that “we believe that the obtained results are still highly representative and allow a fairly reliable analysis of the public moods of the population.”
Ukraine rejects proposal to establish demilitarized “free economic zone” in Donbas, Politico says
The European Union faces a critical week as it seeks to shield Ukraine from a humiliating peace deal carved out by the U.S. and Russia while attempting to salvage an agreement to fund a multi-billion euro loan to keep Kyiv afloat, Politico said Monday. The paragraphs below are quoted from the article.
Little wonder then that European officials are casting the next few days as existential. The latest shot of 11th-hour diplomacy will see the leaders of the U.K., Germany and possibly France, potentially with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and his special envoy Steve Witkoff, meeting with Zelenskyy in Berlin.
As if to underscore the significance of the meeting, “numerous European heads of state and government, as well as the leaders of the EU and NATO, will join the talks” after the initial discussion, said Stefan Kornelius, spokesperson for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The discussion will represent Europe’s attempt to influence the final settlement, weeks after a 28-point peace plan drafted by Witkoff — reportedly with the aid of several Kremlin officials — provoked a furious backlash in both Kyiv and European capitals. They’ve since scrambled to put together an alternative.
This time the focus will be on a 20-point amendment to the plan drafted by Kyiv and its European allies and submitted to Washington for review last week.
The contents remain unclear, and nothing is decided, but the fate of the Ukrainian territories under Russian occupation is particularly thorny. Trump has pitched emptying out the territories of Ukrainian and Russian troops and establishing a demilitarized “free economic zone” where U.S. business interests could operate.
Ukraine has rejected that proposal, according to a French official, who was granted anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.
The U.S. has insisted on territorial concessions despite fierce European objections, the official added, creating friction with the Trump administration.
Europe’s leaders insist there can be no progress on territory before Ukraine is offered security guarantees.
The U.S. wants Ukraine to withdraw its troops from Donetsk region, and Washington would then create a “free economic zone” in the parts Kyiv currently controls, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said Thursday, according to The Guardian.
Previously, the U.S. had suggested Kyiv should hand over the parts of Donbas it still controlled to Russia, but the Ukrainian president said on Thursday that Washington had now suggested a compromise version in which Ukrainian troops would withdraw, but Russian troops would not advance into the territory.
“If someone withdraws from one side — as they want Ukrainians to do — why doesn’t the other side of the war withdraw the same distance in the other direction?” he asked, speaking to reporters in Kyiv. Zelenskyi also questioned who would govern the territory on both sides of the contact line if the withdrawal happens.
Kyiv has agreed to one of the major points in negotiations with the United States and Russia by accepting the establishment of a demilitarized zone in the Donbas, Le Monde said on December 11. In Kyiv’s view, the demilitarized zone would require both Ukrainian and Russian forces to withdraw from either side of the current front line in the Donbas, it added. The article included a quote from advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mykhaylo Podolyak.
On December 12, Dmytro Lytvyn, communications advisor to the Ukrainian president, disproved the claim that Ukraine had agreed to establish a demilitarized zone in Donbas. He said Podolyak was describing some of the scenarios discussed, not the decisions made.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said on Friday that a ceasefire in Ukraine is only possible after Kyiv’s forces withdraw from the entire Donbas region, with the area they currently control taken over by Russian National Guard, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported, according to Reuters. It cited him as saying: “There will be the Russian national guard, our police, everything necessary to maintain order and organize life.”
Berlin talks are difficult with U.S. unwilling to compromise on peace proposal draft, WSJ says
President Trump’s top envoys held five hours of talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin on Sunday, with Washington hailing progress as the administration steps up pressure on Kyiv to seal a peace deal with Russia by year-end, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said Monday. The paragraphs below are quoted from the article.
The talks between Ukraine and its Western partners have become a tug of war, even without Russia at the table. Washington is pushing for quick decisions, while Zelensky and his European backers contend that significant differences remain that must be resolved.
Among the key points of contention, Ukraine has balked at Washington’s call to withdraw its forces from a portion of the eastern Donbas region that Kyiv’s forces still hold. European and Ukrainian officials have pushed for clarity on what the U.S. would do if Russia were to break a peace deal and attack Ukraine.
Both issues will be at the heart of the talks in Berlin.
After Sunday’s talks ended in the late evening, the Trump administration’s Russia envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on X that the two sides held in-depth discussions on the peace plan. “A lot of progress was made, and they will meet again tomorrow morning,” he said.
One person briefed on Sunday’s talks described them as difficult, saying the U.S. side appeared unwilling to compromise on its peace proposal draft.
One of the key differences between the U.S. and Ukraine is their assessments of the battlefield and how that should influence negotiations. Trump has repeatedly said Ukraine is losing the war. Multiple senior Trump administration officials assess that Ukraine is losing the war and would lose if the fighting continued, even though Ukrainian soldiers and other European officials believe Ukraine can defend itself at least for another year or more, especially with increased military and financial support from allies.
In addition to territory, the Berlin discussions are expected to focus on negotiations on security guarantees for Ukraine, according to European and Ukrainian officials.
Britain, France and other European capitals have drawn up detailed plans of the kinds of help they could provide Ukraine, including a possible reassurance force in the country, and discussed them with U.S. military officials. But Washington has yet to take a political decision on the help it would provide, according to Ukraine and Europe.
