Zelensky opens up to the possibility of elections being held soon in Ukraine, and the United States proposes a free trade zone

María Senovilla, journalist and correspondent in Kiev, analysed the current situation in the war in Ukraine on Onda Madrid's programme ‘De cara al mundo’, addressing the latest developments.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made the changes he wanted to the draft peace agreement for the war in Ukraine, while there is talk of a possible referendum on the cession of territory to Russia and the United States proposes the creation of a free economic zone. In addition, the Ukrainian president has opened up to the possibility of holding elections in Ukraine in the near future, while Russia continues to violate international law by using Russian soldiers as if they were Ukrainian civilians to kill Ukrainian troops in various cities.

New US proposal to create a free economic zone in areas of Donbas that are still under Ukrainian control.

The United States wants Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the part of Donbas under its control, such as Kramatorsk, Sloviansk and surrounding enclaves.

This new proposal comes after Zelensky refused to cede this part of the territory to Russia, but it is unclear who would govern this area of Donbas and what security guarantees the United States would give for this area to persuade Ukraine to withdraw the bulk of its army from this part of Donetsk.

Zelensky said at a press conference that he did not believe this plan was fair without security guarantees to prevent Russia from de facto occupying the territory once the troops withdrew. Zelensky recalled that the Budapest Memorandum did not prevent Putin from launching the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in which we are currently embroiled, and that this is something they are keeping in mind in order to demand guarantees that this cession of territory or conversion into a free economic zone could be carried out.

This proposal to establish a free economic zone has been unexpected and novel and could be a response to Donald Trump's weariness, as he has said that he is fed up with meetings with Russia and Ukraine and has realised that he will not be able to stop this war anytime soon.

Over the past few months, he has tried to bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion without success. The White House Press Secretary said that up to 30 hours had been spent in meetings over the past two weeks trying to stop this war and that they are not willing to put any more effort into these fruitless meetings.

Russia started the invasion and Russia still has the power to stop it, despite what Trump or Zelensky say.

The door is open for elections to be held in Ukraine, and although Volodymyr Zelensky seems willing, it is not easy to hold elections in a Ukrainian country at war.

It is very complicated. Zelensky, who has been meeting with world leaders over the past week, presented the United States with a new peace proposal indicating that elections could be held in the short term, within 60 to 90 days, as long as Ukraine is not asked to surrender more territory.

It is an immense challenge because no one can guarantee that Russia will not bomb during the elections. There are 6.5 million refugees, several million internally displaced persons and, above all, five million Ukrainians living in occupied Ukrainian territories.

However, Zelensky could accept elections if security were guaranteed.

It should be remembered that the last elections were in March 2019 and Zelensky won with 75% of the vote. Despite this, Russia continues to claim that Zelensky is an illegitimate president. Trump may also have pointed out that the Ukrainian president has used the war to remain in power. In response, Volodymyr Zelensky has come forward admitting that elections could be held quickly if this helps to achieve a ceasefire and bring about peace negotiations. 

Meanwhile, Russian soldiers are reportedly disguising themselves as Ukrainian civilians on the front line, which is against international law.

We have already reported how Russia prevented Ukrainian citizens trapped on the front line from being evacuated by bombing and attacking all vehicles on humanitarian missions in various cities.

Now, Russian troops are using civilians who are trapped on the front line in areas of Donbas. One way they do this is by disguising themselves as Ukrainian civilians so they can get close to Ukrainian soldiers and kill them, and to prevent Ukrainian soldiers from shooting at them.

This is prohibited by international law, which is systematically violated by Russia. It also complicates the work of Ukrainian troops in urban areas. Ukrainian soldiers hesitate to shoot if they see civilians, and Russian soldiers use this to kill Ukrainian soldiers. This tactic has been used in Pokrovsk and is beginning to be used in Konstanstinivska.

Imagine the conditions in which Ukrainian soldiers are fighting, not knowing whether the person in front of them is a compatriot or a Russian soldier who is going to kill them. This tactic violates international law.