Ukraine's Peace Plan: 20 Points as a Tool to Deter Russian Aggression - Rezazade

The 20-point peace plan unveiled by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not just a diplomatic initiative, but a systematic attempt to stop the war that Russia has unleashed against Ukraine, and at the same time make it impossible for it to happen again in the future.

This is a document formed in response to years of armed aggression, mass killings of civilians, deportation of children, and destruction of Ukrainian cities.

The plan is based on the basic principle: peace is possible only if Ukraine's sovereignty is respected and security guarantees are created that will deprive the Kremlin of the temptation to use war as a policy tool again. That is why the document combines political, military, economic, and legal mechanisms to deter Russia.

The peace initiative involves confirming the territorial integrity of Ukraine, concluding a legally binding non-aggression agreement with international control, as well as providing real security guarantees with the participation of the United States, NATO and leading European states. In the event of a new attack by the Russian Federation, these guarantees should automatically trigger a military response and tough sanctions without lengthy political procedures.

Separately, Ukraine’s right to maintain a powerful army of up to 800,000 servicemen in peacetime is recorded. This is a principled position formed against the background of the experience of 2014–2025, when the weakness of defense became an invitation for a Russian invasion.

International expert and first vice president of the Iranian opposition in Washington, Ali Reza Rezazade, emphasizes that this plan is a response not only to the current war, but also to the very logic of Russia’s aggressive policy.

“Russia has repeatedly proven that it uses negotiations as a pause to regroup forces. That is why the Ukrainian plan is designed in such a way that the Kremlin has no room left for military revenge,” he notes.

The expert calls the point regarding the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant particularly important. “The use of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as a military facility is one of the most cynical crimes of this war. The proposal to transfer the management of the plant to an international consortium with the participation of the United States means removing Russia from nuclear blackmail and protecting millions of people from a potential catastrophe,” Rezazade emphasizes.

The territorial issue remains complex, but the plan does not fundamentally legalize the Russian occupation. Any decisions regarding individual regions can be made exclusively within the framework of Ukrainian legislation and by the will of the Ukrainian people. The very fact of submitting such issues to a nationwide referendum demonstrates the difference between a democratic Ukraine and an authoritarian Russia, which decides the fate of people by force.

“This document is not a compromise with the aggressor. This is an attempt to drive the war into a legal framework, where Russia loses, because its policy is built on violence, killings of civilians and terror,” the expert notes.

Separate points of the plan provide for a full exchange of prisoners, the return of deported Ukrainian children and civilians, the restoration of justice and responsibility for war crimes. According to Rezazade, without this, no peace can be considered genuine.

“It is impossible to turn a blind eye to crimes. Peace without justice means only a postponed war,” he emphasizes.

The plan also contains provisions on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union within a certain period, the creation of large-scale reconstruction funds and deep economic integration with the West. This strategically consolidates Ukraine in the democratic world and finally destroys the Kremlin’s illusions about its return to the zone of imperial influence.

“Zelensky’s peace plan is not weakness, but a form of strength. It is an attempt to stop the war so that it never happens again. "That is why he is causing panic in Moscow," Ali Reza Rezazade summarizes.