'Elections or referendum' — Zelensky affirms Ukrainians will decide territorial concessions
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President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated on Dec. 11 that any territorial solutions to end Russia's war must be decided by the Ukrainian people, either through elections or a referendum.
"The Russians want the whole of Donbas — we don't accept that," Zelensky said.
"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."
His comments come amid growing U.S. pressure to secure progress on an emerging peace plan.
Moscow has demanded that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the eastern Donbas region, including parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts that Russia has failed to capture in more than a decade of war.
Luhansk Oblast is almost entirely under Russian control, while Ukrainian forces hold roughly 6,600 square kilometers (2,550 square miles) in Donetsk Oblast, including the key cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Fighting remains active around Pokrovsk.
A referendum allows citizens to directly decide on key state issues. It requires safe conditions and full voter participation, making it impossible during wartime without external guarantees.
Zelensky said Washington has floated a "compromise vision" under which Ukrainian troops would leave Donetsk Oblast and Russian forces would refrain from entering.
"They see that Ukrainian troops are leaving the territory of Donetsk Oblast, and the compromise seems to be that Russian troops will not enter this territory," he said.
The Ukrainian president described the idea as part of an ongoing effort by the U.S. to find a format acceptable to both Kyiv and Moscow.
"They discussed the issue of a 'free economic zone.' The Americans call it that, while the Russians refer to it as a 'demilitarized zone,'" Zelensky said.
The territorial debate remains one of the most contentious issues in the talks, and Zelensky said it is too early to know "what the final documents will look like."
U.S. proposals continue to evolve alongside European efforts to present a unified approach, as Kyiv resists terms that would force concessions on sovereignty.
