Peace plan to be put to referendum

US and Ukraine agree: any peace deal must pass all-Ukrainian referendum - Zelenskyy

Ukraine and the United States have agreed that Any peace treaty on the war with Russia should be put to an all-Ukrainian referendum, The president said. Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with the American publication Axios.

According to Zelenskyy, such an agreement with Washington is key to the legitimacy of future decisions on ending the war and the status of the occupied territories. The Head of State stressed that Ukrainian society would not support an agreement that would provide for the loss of territories or citizenship of people living there.

Reaction to possible concessions

Zelenskyy explained that the agreement on the referendum was reached in consultations with American mediators who are leading trilateral talks between Ukraine, the United States and Russia. The President of Ukraine added that even if the peace plan provides for fixing the current front line, this decision must also be confirmed by a vote.

The President stressed that any decisions that affect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine are to be taken, must be approved by the people, The government is not the only one, not just the authorities or international partners.

The context of the negotiations

This interview took place against the backdrop of the next round of talks in Geneva, where Ukrainian and Russian delegations are discussing the terms of a possible ceasefire and peace agreement. The main obstacle remains the issue of control over Donbas and the future of the occupied territories.

Earlier, Zelenskyy had repeatedly stressed that any attempts to force Ukraine to make concessions in the form of giving up part of its territories would be rejected by citizens during a referendum, as «emotionally, people will never forgive this».