Zelensky open to potential referendum on peace plan

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday he was willing to submit the entire 20-point peace plan to a national referendum if the final proposal includes "a very difficult" decision regarding lost territory.

The Ukrainian president, in an interview with news outlet Axios, maintained that while he aims to negotiate a "strong" position on territorial terms, he is prepared to seek Ukrainians' approval if these conditions cannot be improved.

To ensure the legitimacy of any nationwide vote, the Ukrainian president specified that a ceasefire of at least 60 days was required as a "minimum" timeframe to organize the logistics safely.

He warned that if this ceasefire does not hold, this would compromise turnout due to safety concerns, potentially rendering the result illegitimate.

A senior US official noted that while Russia understands the need for a ceasefire in order to hold a referendum, Moscow currently desires a shorter timetable than the two months requested by Kyiv, according to Axios.

- Top-level talks needed to finish war quickly

Zelensky highlighted the importance of his upcoming Sunday meeting with US President Donald Trump, underlining that negotiations on ending the war must now proceed at the presidential level to achieve a quick resolution.

He indicated that the process had advanced beyond initial staff-level discussions, necessitating engagement between the presidents to "finish it as quickly as possible."

He confirmed that the primary goal of his meeting with Trump would be to finalize a framework and "schedule" for concluding the ongoing conflict.

- Agreements with US near completion

Zelensky also confirmed that most agreements with the US were near completion, codified across five, possibly six, documents.

However, he pushed back on the US-proposed 15-year duration for security guarantees, stating: "I think we need more than 15 years," adding that securing a longer-term pact would be a "big success."

Ahead of the in-person summit, a conference call is anticipated on Saturday involving Zelensky, Trump, and European leaders to "get everyone up to speed" on the talks, a Ukrainian official told Axios.

Earlier in the day, Zelensky announced that he would meet with Trump in the US state of Florida to discuss a draft document aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, alongside security guarantees and an economic agreement.