Ukraine’s Presidential Office has rejected claims on Friday that Kyiv is ready to agree to the creation of a so-called “buffer” or demilitarized zone in eastern Ukraine as part of negotiations with the US, stressing that no such political decision has been made.
The clarification followed a report by France’s Le Monde claiming Kyiv had agreed in principle to a demilitarized zone on both sides of the current Donbas front line, allegedly backed by European leaders and included in a revised US peace plan.
Speaking to Kyiv Post, Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Presidential Office, said the French outlet’s interpretation overstated what are, at this stage, purely theoretical discussions.
“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.”
Podolyak added that, in theory, such scenarios could include discussion of a monitored buffer or demilitarized zone, but said these talks remain part of broader deliberations on a security guarantee rather than a concrete proposal.
“Such a format theoretically may include the possibility of forming a so-called buffer or demilitarized zone that would need to be actively monitored,” he said.
“But all of this is still only being discussed within the framework of security guarantees. Final decisions will, of course, be announced by the President of Ukraine.”
In its report, Le Monde claimed that Kyiv had agreed to a demilitarized zone requiring the withdrawal of troops from both sides of the front line in Donbas – a key concession, according to the publication, for a potential peace agreement.
The 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.
According to Le Monde, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz were also involved in shaping the proposal.
Zelensky confirmed on Thursday that the demilitarized zone has been part of the current discussions, though he said, in its current form, it calls for Ukrainian troops to withdraw while barring Russian troops from entering.