US wants ceasefire only after framework deal, says Zelensky, as Türkiye exerts energy truce effort

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday the US believes a ceasefire with Russia is only possible once a framework peace agreement is signed, while Türkiye has been working on separate energy and water truce initiatives that Moscow refuses to accept without a broader deal, according to the RBC-Ukraine news agency.

Zelensky told journalists that according to Washington's repeated contacts with Moscow, Russia "will not agree to a ceasefire if there is no agreement," adding that Kyiv's position remains unchanged -- a complete halt to hostilities.

On the prospect of an energy or water truce, Zelensky said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been trying to launch the process, proposing meetings first at the technical level and then between leaders.

"I told him (Erdoğan) that we are ready," he said, noting that the US prefers achieving a single framework deal that would trigger a nationwide ceasefire.

He suggested that the stance reflects Russia's warning that it would not accept a limited truce without a signed agreement.

Zelensky also said prisoner exchanges have effectively stalled, claiming Russia is slowing previously agreed steps and conditioning progress on broader political arrangements.

He noted that Ukrainian officials and Russian representatives had agreed to prepare a large-scale swap by the New Year, but "now it is the Russian side that is holding back."

EU, NATO MEMBERSHIP

Turning to Ukraine's EU ambitions, he said he hopes the US will help unblock Kyiv's path to membership by using its political influence over states that remain reluctant.

He argued it could happen if the emerging framework agreement includes a clause specifying when Ukraine becomes an EU member.

"Then the Americans, as a party to this agreement, will do everything to ensure our Europeanness is not blocked," he said, quoted by the Ukrinform news agency.

He added that Washington's stance on NATO membership remains unchanged. "The US does not want to see us in NATO. And they say this openly," said Zelensky, calling it a consistent, long-standing position.

PEACE PLAN

Zelensky confirmed that Kyiv has handed an updated version of its peace plan to the US, reduced from 28 to 20 points.

He said it functions as a set of interconnected documents covering post-war recovery, security guarantees and other thematic areas, with detailed annexes to follow depending on how the basic framework is adopted.

Unresolved issues remain, particularly territory. Zelensky said that Russia "wants the entire Donbas," which Ukraine rejects, while the Americans have floated a model in which Ukrainian forces withdraw from part of the Donetsk region and Russian troops do not enter it, creating what Washington calls a "free economic zone" and Moscow a "demilitarized zone."

He said critical questions remain unanswered: who would administer the area; how monitoring would function; and what would prevent Russian infiltration.

"This is definitely not in the interests of Ukraine, but we need to continue the conversation," he said.

ZAPORIZHZHIA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

Zelensky also noted that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant remains a second unresolved point in the talks.

Ukraine has also received a draft from the US on security guarantees, he said, and is preparing additions based on its own proposals.

He stressed that any agreement must carry legal obligations and avoid any weaknesses. He underlined expectation that a future guarantees document would require approval by the US Congress.

Zelensky said Washington wants clarity on the peace framework agreement by Christmas but emphasized that Kyiv prioritizes substance over speed. "We would like it sooner, but the result is important for us," he said.