Zelensky Unveils Revised 20-Point Peace Plan

President Volodymyr Zelensky has unveiled the revised 20-point peace plan currently being discussed with the US.

Zelensky outlined the details during a meeting with journalists, according to RBC Ukraine on Wednesday, Dec. 24.

The revised draft contains some iterations of the original 28 points – such as a cap on Ukraine’s peacetime forces – while dropping provisions including the waiver of all legal recourse for war crimes.

Zelensky confirmed the 20-point plan is one of four documents in development, alongside a trilateral security guarantees agreement (Ukraine, the US, and Europe), a bilateral security guarantees pact with the US, and a Roadmap for Prosperity, developed with Washington to guide recovery and economic development through 2040.

Revised 20-point draft

1. Confirmation of Ukraine’s sovereignty
2. Non-aggression agreement between Russia and Ukraine; monitoring on the contact line
3. Security guarantees 
4. A peacetime cap on the Ukrainian military to 800,000 personnel
5. The US, NATO and Europe will provide Ukraine with security guarantees based on NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense clause; a new Russian invasion is to be met with a military response and renewed sanctions. 
6. Russia will enshrine a non-aggression policy towards Europe and Ukraine in all necessary laws
7. Ukraine will become an EU member at some point, with plans to fix the accession date
8. A global development package to be determined in a separate investment agreement
9. The creation of several funds to address recovery issues (goal: $800 billion)
10. Acceleration of the free trade agreement between Ukraine and the US
11. Ukraine’s nuclear-free status
12. (Terms contested) Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: The US offers a trilateral arrangement, with the US as the chief manager; Kyiv offers to split the output 50/50 between the US and Ukraine, with the US deciding where the output would go
13. Educational programs in schools to promote understanding and tolerance of different cultures and to eliminate racism and prejudice
14. (Terms contested) Territories. One option sees Russia withdrawing from Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv, while Ukraine holds its positions in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson. Russia demands Ukraine leave Donetsk, while the US proposes a compromise: a free economic zone. If the “hold positions” agreement fails, the free economic zone would require a referendum, and the entire document would then be subject to a vote
15. Russia and Ukraine undertake not to change the agreements by force 
16. Russia will not prevent Ukraine from using the Dnipro River and the Black Sea for commercial purposes. The Kinburn Spit will be demilitarized 
17. All-for-all prisoner exchange, return of civilians, children, and political prisoners 
18. Ukraine must hold elections soon after the agreement is signed 
19. This agreement will be legally binding. Its implementation will be monitored by a Peace Council headed by US President Donald Trump 
20. Once all parties agree to this agreement, a full ceasefire will come into effect immediately

While Kyiv and Washington say a draft is largely complete, officials on both sides acknowledge that several provisions remain unacceptable and that a durable ceasefire is still far off.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also rejected claims of a “breakthrough” in peace talks by US Vice President JD Vance.

Wartime elections

Zelensky has signaled progress in changing the law to allow wartime elections.

On Tuesday, Ukraine’s parliament approved the creation of a cross-party working group to draft a one-off law regulating elections during martial law, a move aimed at answering growing international and domestic questions about how democratic processes could be preserved amid Russia’s war.

Other Topics of Interest

Pentagon Raises Counterintelligence Threat to ‘Critical’ Over Suspected Israeli Wiretapping

The US Department of Defense has elevated its assessment of the counterintelligence threat posed by Israel to “critical,” the highest possible level. Washington is deeply concerned that Israeli intelligence services have been wiretapping senior US officials – including Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s chief negotiator, and Elbridge A. Colby, a top Pentagon policy official. The suspected espionage targeted negotiators working on a peace agreement with Iran, a move US officials say has “crossed the line”.

The draft envisions a one-time exception tailored to wartime conditions, though Kyiv has maintained that the US must ensure security if it wants elections in Ukraine, meaning a US-mediated ceasefire.