Negotiations between President Volodymyr Zelensky and a US delegation ended without agreement on a proposed demilitarized zone in eastern Ukraine during talks in Berlin on Sunday, Dec. 14.

This was reported by Bild, citing officials familiar with the discussions.

According to Bild, the talks focused on a US-backed 28-point peace framework aimed at freezing the war. The proposal reportedly includes Ukraine’s commitment not to seek NATO membership and to hold new elections within 100 days – conditions Kyiv is prepared to consider under specific circumstances.

However, negotiations reportedly stalled over territorial issues, particularly a proposal requiring Ukrainian forces to withdraw from parts of the Donetsk region to create what US negotiators described as a “demilitarized economic zone.”

According to the document discussed in Berlin, Ukraine’s Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk would be recognized de facto as Russian-controlled, while parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson would be frozen along the current contact line.

The plan also envisaged Ukraine withdrawing from areas of Donetsk it currently controls, which would then be demilitarized and internationally recognized as Russian territory, as per Bild.

While Zelensky is reportedly willing to freeze the front line – effectively accepting the temporary loss of occupied territories, including Crimea and parts of eastern and southern Ukraine – he has firmly rejected any unilateral Ukrainian withdrawal from Donetsk.

The US side proposed that Ukraine pull back from roughly 5,600 square kilometers (2,162 square miles) of the Donetsk region, with the area remaining demilitarized rather than occupied by Russian forces.

Moscow quickly responded by suggesting that only Russia’s National Guard (Rosgvardia) would enter the zone – a force actively engaged in frontline combat.

Kyiv fears that Russia would use the withdrawal to seize the territory militarily, effectively turning the proposal into a forced surrender, the report reads. A senior Ukrainian official reportedly told Bild that such a scenario would amount to capitulation and “will not be accepted.”

Zelensky says red lines raised with US

Despite Kyiv’s willingness to make significant compromises – including accepting a long-term freeze of large swathes of occupied territory – Ukrainian officials stressed that a one-sided withdrawal from the front line remains a red line.

Zelensky, speaking to journalists on Sunday, commented on the possible creation of a demilitarized zone in Donbas, saying he considers a “stand where we stand” approach the fairest option.

“I know that Russia does not have a positive attitude towards this, but I would like the Americans to support us in this matter,” he said.

According to him, Russia responds to this proposal by demanding that Ukraine withdraw from Donbas, while warning that it would otherwise seize the region by force.

Zelensky said he raised the issue with US officials, stressing that Moscow frequently uses disinformation to avoid military costs and instead attempts to take territory through diplomatic and political pressure. As an example, he cited Russian claims about Kupyansk, which he said were false.

Commenting on proposals for a buffer zone along the contact line, Zelensky questioned why any withdrawal would apply only to Ukrainian forces.

“If the Ukrainian troops withdraw five or ten kilometers, then why don’t the Russian troops also withdraw deep into the occupied territories by the same distance?” he said.

He added that the issue remains unresolved and highly sensitive.

“This is a question that still has no answer. But it is very sensational and very hot,” Zelensky said.

‘Demilitarized’ zone proposal

In a report published on Dec. 11, French outlet Le Monde claimed that Kyiv had agreed to the creation of a demilitarized zone in Donbas that would require the withdrawal of troops from both sides of the front line.

The French newspaper also reported that the proposal had been endorsed by European leaders and incorporated into a revised US peace plan prepared by Zelensky and sent to US President Donald Trump.

However, Ukraine’s Presidential Office rejected those claims on Dec. 12, saying Kyiv is not ready to agree to a so-called “buffer” or demilitarized zone in eastern Ukraine and stressing that no political decision on the matter has been made.

Speaking to Kyiv Post, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, said the outlet’s interpretation went beyond what has actually been discussed.

“We are talking exclusively about theoretical discussions for now,” Podolyak said. “It is clear that in any negotiation process, all possible formats are discussed, including a potential format of stopping along the line of direct combat contact.”