Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he would be willing to withdraw Ukrainian troops from the country’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a potential plan to end Russia’s war, provided that Moscow also pulls back its forces and the territory is converted into a demilitarised zone overseen by international monitors.
The proposal represents another possible compromise over the future of the Donbas region, which has remained one of the most contentious issues in ongoing peace discussions between Kyiv and Moscow. Control of the eastern territories has long been a central sticking point in negotiations, with both sides holding sharply opposing positions.
Washington and Kyiv have recently moved closer to agreeing on a joint framework aimed at ending the war, although uncertainty remains over how the Kremlin will respond. Even if Moscow ultimately rejects the proposal, Ukrainian officials view it as a diplomatic win for Kyiv, as it reflects a significant reworking of an earlier US draft plan that had been criticised within Ukraine as overly favourable to Russian demands.
Zelenskyy said he expected American negotiators to make contact with Russian officials on Wednesday to discuss the latest proposals.
Meanwhile, a state-run Russian polling agency reported that most Russians expect the war in Ukraine to end in 2026, suggesting the Kremlin may be gauging public opinion ahead of a possible peace settlement. According to officials, 70% of the 1,600 respondents surveyed believed that 2026 would be a more “successful” year for Russia than the current one. For 55% of those respondents, that optimism was directly linked to the expectation that Russia’s so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine would come to an end.
The findings come as diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict intensify, raising questions about whether Moscow is preparing domestic audiences for negotiations or a shift in strategy.
In southern Ukraine, Russian aerial bombardments have caused a sunflower oil spill that has polluted the shoreline around the port city of Odesa, killing wildlife and prompting warnings from environmental groups. Conservationists said the spill poses a serious threat to coastal ecosystems.
Odesa has been subjected to some of the heaviest attacks of the war in recent weeks. Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of deliberately targeting the region to disrupt Ukraine’s maritime infrastructure and cripple its crucial agricultural exports. The Pivdenny port, one of the region’s key facilities, was temporarily closed on Wednesday to allow clean-up operations to proceed.
Separately, Russian authorities said Ukrainian drones had targeted Moscow overnight. Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defence systems shot down 25 drones heading toward the capital. Emergency services were inspecting debris where fragments landed, but no damage was reported.
Russia’s civil aviation authority said that two of Moscow’s four main airports briefly restricted operations following the incident, with updates communicated through Telegram.