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Zelenskyy proposes referendum on land concessions as Ukraine hands US updated peace plan

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the Americans discussed creating a "free economic zone" in the east of the country, where Kyiv's troops would withdraw from

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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a meeting with his French, British and German counterparts
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a meeting with his French, British and German counterparts. Picture: Getty

By Rebecca Henrys

Ukrainians would vote on land concessions to Russia in a referendum as part of Ukraine's updated peace plan proposals.

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Ukraine's President says he's handed over an updated version of a peace plan to the US.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the Americans discussed creating a "free economic zone" in the east of the country, where Kyiv's troops would withdraw from.

But a referendum would be needed for any land concessions.

The 20-point deal also includes security guarantees and an agreement on rebuilding the country.

Ukraine has faced increasing pressure from the United States in recent weeks to accept a plan that would see it cede large swathes of land to Russia in exchange for an end to fighting.

Mr Zelenskyy has also denied the existence of an American-imposed Christmas deadline - saying Washington only wants an "understanding on status" by then.

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President Donald Trump, right, shakes the hand of Russia's President Vladimir Putin during a joint press conference in August
President Donald Trump, right, shakes the hand of Russia's President Vladimir Putin during a joint press conference in August. Picture: Alamy

However, Mr Zelenskyy has long insisted Ukraine should not be forced to give up land and says his new 20-point plan can achieve peace without any territory being handed to the Kremlin.

"The mood of the Americans, in principle, is for finding a compromise," he told reporters after a meeting with Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

"Of course, there are complex issues related to the territory, and a compromise has not yet been found there."

It comes as NATO chief Mark Rutte has warned its member states are "Russia's next target" as he called on the bloc to prepare for a conflict on the scale of the Second World War.

Speaking at a security conference in Berlin, Mr Rutte said NATO is firmly in the Kremlin's sights as he suggested we could be heading for war on a scale not seen since the 1940s.

"We are Russia's next target," he warned.

"I fear that too many are quietly complacent.

"Too many don't feel the urgency, and too many believe that time is on our side. It is not.

"The time for action is now."