Ukraine’s Zelensky floats referendum on territory, as US pressure mounts to end war
Ukraine’s president says Russia wants ‘the whole of Donbas’ in return for peace, but Ukrainians must have their say
President Volodymyr Zelensky has floated the prospect of allowing Ukrainians to vote on whether to hand the Donbas region to Russia as Kyiv comes under mounting pressure to agree to terms of an emerging US peace plan.
Moscow has insisted that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the eastern territories, which include areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that the Russian military has failed to capture in its nearly four-year invasion.
Zelensky has engaged in talks over the latest peace proposal from President Donald Trump’s administration, but has maintained his position that Ukraine would not consider surrendering territory to the Kremlin.
“The Russians want the whole of Donbas - we don’t accept that,” Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv on Thursday, referring to Ukraine’s eastern regions. “I believe that the Ukrainian people will answer this question. Whether in the form of elections or a referendum, the Ukrainian people must have a say.”
Ukrainian territory is at the centre of running discussions among Washington, Kyiv and Moscow as negotiators inch towards a potential agreement to end the war. Zelensky said the US has discussed turning the area into a “free economic zone”, while Russia has opted for a “demilitarised zone”.