Zelenskyy: US is working to get Russia to agree to ceasefire for Ukrainian referendum

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that US partners are working to persuade Russia to agree to a ceasefire during the holding of a referendum in Ukraine. According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine would need at least 60 days of "silence" for this to happen.

Source: Zelenskyy at an online briefing during his return from the US

Quote: "The Russians' attitude towards a referendum is not positive. Why? Because a referendum requires security and a security infrastructure. What does that mean? It means a ceasefire. And the Russians do not want to give us a ceasefire even for as many days as would be needed to hold a referendum. For us, that means 60 days. We understand that we need at least 60 days."

Details: Zelenskyy said that all current signals from Russia indicate that it does not want a ceasefire at this stage. "But the United States is working on this," he added.

Quote from Zelenskyy: "A referendum is an expression of the will of the Ukrainian people. Yesterday we discussed this with European leaders, and Giorgia Meloni strongly supported me. She said: 'Look, the most important thing is not even when this war ends – although we all want it to end – but how it ends.'

It is crucial that this is the will of the Ukrainian people, that the Ukrainian nation accepts this peace and supports this plan. That is why a referendum is such a powerful tool. Ukrainians, who have suffered more than anyone else in this war, must feel satisfied with the end of the war and with the format of this agreement. That is what just peace is about."

Details: Zelenskyy also said that monitoring of the ceasefire should be ensured by Ukraine's partners.

All technical details regarding monitoring and presence would be set out in Ukraine's security guarantees.

The president stressed that there is currently no discussion of establishing a demilitarised zone along the front line. At this stage, the sides are only discussing a free economic zone, with no details available yet.

Background:

• On 24 December, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine could submit a twenty-point peace agreement for parliamentary ratification or hold a nationwide referendum and could also decide to hold elections in the country at the same time as the referendum. According to the president, holding a referendum would require at least 60 days and a full ceasefire for that period.
• On 29 December, US President Donald Trump said that Russian ruler Vladimir Putin had not agreed to a ceasefire during the possible holding of a referendum in Ukraine on a peace plan.

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