Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kiev is ready to turn part of the Donbas region currently controlled by his army into a demilitarized zone (DMZ) if Russia also keeps its soldiers out of the area.
Zelensky’s comments represent the biggest territorial concession so far for Ukraine, which faces increasing pressure from both Russia’s military advance and U.S. President Donald Trump to agree to a ceasefire deal with Russia.
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The Ukrainian president also mentioned a second demilitarized zone near Europe’s largest Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is currently controlled by Russia. He said the demilitarized zone proposal was part of a 20-point peace plan aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, and President Zelenskyy said Tuesday it had the support of the United States.
Here’s what we know about the plan and whether a demilitarized zone will work in Ukraine.
What is the 20-point peace plan?
President Zelenskiy unveiled the plan during a two-hour press conference with journalists, reading from highlighted and annotated copy. The plan was negotiated in Florida over the weekend between negotiators from Washington and Kiev.
Here are the negotiating positions on key issues:
Ukraine’s membership in NATO: Russia has insisted from the beginning of the war that it would not recognize Ukraine as part of NATO. The Trump administration has also made clear that Ukraine needs to give up its hopes of joining the North Atlantic military alliance. However, Ukraine continues to resist pressure to introduce constitutional reforms and has vowed to remain neutral and not seek NATO membership. “It is the choice of NATO member states whether to retain Ukraine or not. Our choice has been made. We distance ourselves from the proposed amendments to the Ukrainian constitution that would prohibit Ukraine from joining NATO,” President Zelensky said on Tuesday. Territorial concessions: President Zelensky said any proposal requiring Ukraine to withdraw its troops would need to be approved in a referendum. Ukraine has repeatedly pointed to its constitution, which prohibits the government from changing its borders on its own. However, many analysts believe that Ukraine may need to compromise on a middle ground, acknowledging that it does not actually control the Russian-occupied territories, but not officially recognizing them. Elections: President Zelensky said that Ukraine will hold presidential elections only after a peace deal is signed. US President Donald Trump is pushing for elections in Ukraine, but Russia has questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy, citing the absence of elections during the war. Demilitarized zone: President Zelenskiy said any area from which Ukraine leaves will become a demilitarized zone (DMZ), which he also called a free trade zone. “They want a demilitarized zone or a free economic zone, something that satisfies both sides,” he said Tuesday, referring to U.S. negotiators.
What is the proposed DMZ in Ukraine?
Russia demands full control of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, which make up Ukraine’s historically industrial Donbass region.
Its forces now control most of Luhansk and 70 percent of Donetsk.
The latest proposal includes the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the remaining 30 percent of Luhansk, unless Russia attempts to seize the area. Instead, the area will become the DMZ.
Meanwhile, in Zaporizhzhia, Russian forces have taken control of a nuclear power plant, which Ukraine is trying to retake, so far to no avail.
The latest proposal also suggests turning the area around the nuclear power plant into a demilitarized zone.
But it is unclear how the proposed DMZ would be managed if both sides agree, who would ensure both sides play by the rules, and how resources such as nuclear power plants could be shared.
“This is the essence of a plan that satisfies both sides,” Marina Miron, an analyst at King’s College in London, told Al Jazeera.
“But I don’t see how this will work, because in Ukraine President Zelenskiy said that Russia will have to withdraw its troops, and we are talking about Donbass, and I don’t think that will happen, especially if Russia is winning on the battlefield.”
Milon said Ukraine’s designation of a demilitarized zone in its peace plan is a tactic by Ukraine to demonstrate its readiness for peace, thereby imposing a “diplomatic burden on Russia.”
Has Russia responded?
The Russian government has so far neither accepted nor rejected the latest peace plan.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that Russia had “expressed its position” on the plan. He did not comment on the details of the plan.
What are the other demilitarized zones in the world?
Several DMZs exist around the world. Some of them are:
South Korea’s demilitarized zone
South Korea’s DMZ is a 4 km (2.5 mile) wide buffer zone separating North Korea and South Korea.
It was established in 1953 after the conclusion of the Korean War Armistice Agreement.
The Korean War broke out in June 1950, and the North Korean army crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea, aiming to unify the peninsula.
After World War II, Korea was temporarily divided between the United States and the Soviet Union at the 38th parallel. The split left the Soviet-backed Workers’ Party of Kim Il-sung in control of the north, and the U.S.-backed Syngman Rhee government in the south.
The conflict lasted three years, pitting northern forces backed by the Soviet Union and China against U.S.-led United Nations forces. An estimated 2 million people died and cities and villages on both sides were destroyed.
The war ended with the United States, China, and North Korea signing an armistice, but South Korea refused to consent and no formal peace treaty was signed. More than 70 years later, North and South are still technically at war.
Golan Heights UN Observer Force Zone
The United Nations established a narrow strip of land in the Golan Heights as the DMZ in 1974 after the war between Israel and Syria ended and the two countries signed an armistice.
The wider Golan Heights is a rocky stretch of land that belongs to Syria under international law. Israel occupied the island during the 1967 Six-Day War and annexed it in 1982, a move recognized only by the United States.
The observation force zone separates the Israeli-occupied territory from the rest of the country, which is still under Syrian control. The area is still monitored by UNDOF peacekeepers.
Sinai Peninsula demilitarized zone
The DMZ was established in the Sinai Peninsula as part of the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. The peace treaty divided the Sinai Peninsula into four safe zones with different military restrictions.
These zones are monitored by international peacekeeping forces called Multinational Forces and Observers (MFO).
Aland Islands
The Åland Islands are small islands in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland. These are the Swedish-speaking autonomous regions of Finland.
It has been demilitarized since 1921, following a decision by the now-defunct League of Nations. Finland and Sweden brought the issue to the federation in the early 20th century, when the islands were part of Finland, which gained independence from the Russian Empire in 1917.
After this, many Arlanders wanted to reunite with Sweden, and tensions rose.
Antarctica
Antarctica was established as a demilitarized zone under the 1959 Antarctic Treaty.
This bans military activity and nuclear testing and ensures that the continent is used only for peaceful purposes and scientific research.
This is because multiple countries have overlapping claims to Antarctica, raising concerns about future conflicts.
Preah Vihear Temple
The border between Thailand and Cambodia, which was created during the French colonial era, contains ambiguous boundaries and overlapping claims.
These disputes have become more contentious as both countries strengthen their institutions and the strategic value of certain areas increases.
One of the disputed zones is the culturally significant Preah Vihear temple of the Khmer Empire, which is of symbolic importance to both countries. In 1962, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the temple belonged to Cambodia.
A conflict erupted between 2008 and 2011, marked by exchanges of gunfire, large-scale forced displacement, and disputes over the legal interpretation of ICJ decisions.
In 2011, the ICJ ordered the creation of a temporary demilitarized zone around the temple.
Has a DMZ ever worked?
Demilitarized zones have been quite successful in some cases, such as in the case of South Korea.
The area between North and South Korea prevents a major military conflict between the two countries.
Meanwhile, on December 7 this year, violence erupted between Thailand and Cambodia over the Preah Vihear temple, leaving 40 people dead and about 1 million displaced, according to official figures. Both countries reported new clashes on Wednesday.
In some cases, demilitarized zones have prevented direct, large-scale conflict, such as in the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula.
However, Israel has repeatedly violated the Golan Heights buffer zone, particularly in the past year, taking advantage of the chaos that followed the ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 to seize territory and expel Syrian families. The United Nations has criticized Israel’s violation of the Demilitarized Zone.
