LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says there are plans to meet President Trump in the, quote, "near future" about a way to end Russia's war against Ukraine. Zelenskyy posted online this morning that, quote, "a lot can be decided before the new year." This is all happening as the Kremlin is evaluating the latest version of a peace plan negotiated by the U.S. and Ukraine. In a few minutes, we'll hear from a Ukrainian legislator about her conversations with congressional Republicans to support her country, even as President Trump has pulled back some of his support. But first, we have NPR's Ukraine correspondent Joanna Kakissis on the line from Kyiv. Good morning, Joanna.
JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So what's in this latest peace plan?
KAKISSIS: Well, Leila, the proposal includes 20 points. And Zelenskyy says Ukraine and the U.S. agree on most of them, including using NATO-style security guarantees to make sure Russia does not invade Ukraine again, financing Ukraine's post-war recovery and reconstruction and releasing all prisoners of war and detained civilians. But there are also sensitive unresolved issues, namely who should run Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is now occupied by Russia - and the most difficult issue of all, territory.
FADEL: Right. And Zelenskyy told journalists earlier this week that he's open to a compromise on territory. What specifically is he open to compromising on?
KAKISSIS: Yeah. So, Leila, he's open to withdrawing Ukrainian troops from Ukrainian-held areas of the eastern region known as Donbas. Now, Ukraine controls about a quarter of it. Zelenskyy says the Trump administration wants to turn this land into a demilitarized special economic zone. Zelenskyy says this could work but only if Russia also pulls back its troops on the parts of Donbas it controls. Also, he says he wants to put this proposal to a vote by referendum so Ukrainians can weigh in.
FADEL: And what are you hearing from Ukrainians? How is this going over with them?
KAKISSIS: Well, Ukrainians we've been speaking to say, you know, it's not a bad idea in theory. But they do not trust Russia. We spoke by voice message to some soldiers on the front line, including Volodymyr Polevyi (ph). His unit is stationed in Donbas. And he pointed out that Russia has been attacking Donbas for more than a decade.
VOLODYMYR POLEVYI: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: He's saying, during that time, Russia signed peace agreements, ceasefire agreements, and did not respect any of them. We also spoke to Yaroslav (ph), a soldier with a unit in Ukraine's national guard stationed in the northeast. He asked, for security reasons, that we only give his first name. He also sent us a video from his front-line camp showing soldiers sharing a very simple Christmas dinner cooked over a wood-burning stove. Here's Yaroslav.
YAROSLAV: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: And he's saying he thinks the best way to defend Ukraine from future attacks is by destroying Russia's economic and military potential.
FADEL: You describe the front-line soldiers having a meal together for Christmas. How else did Ukrainians observe the holiday?
KAKISSIS: Well, Leila, we went to this Christmas march yesterday in central Kyiv. It was freezing. But a big crowd of Ukrainians showed up wearing colorful embroidered clothing and singing traditional Ukrainian carols. Let's listen.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Singing in Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: So we spoke to Vadym Bruchkovskyi (ph). He's a data analytics specialist from Kyiv. He carried a goat mask. It's a symbol of abundance.
VADYM BRUCHKOVSKYI: Christmas is very bright. But it's spoiled by our sad news every day that we are getting, some missiles falling down on our cities, beautiful cities, on our hospitals, homes. Every day, news about death of our relatives, friends.
KAKISSIS: But, he says, Christmas is also a celebration of unity here for families and the country. Also in the crowd was Taisiya Puklich (ph). She's a 19-year-old university student. And she's from a city in the southeast that's under Russian occupation.
TAISIYA PUKLICH: (Speaking Ukrainian).
KAKISSIS: And she's saying, you know, "I would love to go back home. But I do not believe in peace talks or in reconciling with the Russians."
FADEL: That's NPR's Joanna Kakissis in Kyiv. Thank you, Joanna.
KAKISSIS: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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