significant

Dec. 24 (UPI) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled a 20-point peace plan hammered out in negotiations in Miami over the weekend that provides strong NATO-style security guarantees in exchange for land concessions. He said the plan was now being reviewed by Moscow.

Detailing the plan on Tuesday, Zelensky said “the main framework” included affirmation of Kyiv’s sovereignty, a non-aggression pact, a means to monitor the final border, Ukraine‘s non-nuclear status and limits on its military to 800,000 troops, The Kyiv Independent and RBC-Ukraine reported.

The plan also contains Ukraine-U.S.-Europe security guarantees, U.S.-Ukraine security guarantees, and a 15-year plan for Ukraine’s recovery and economic development involving raising as much as $800 billion.

European Union membership for Ukraine will form part of the security guarantees.

The document, which emerged from a 28-point-plan drafted by the White House and the Kremlin and first floated by President Donald Trump in mid-November, was expected to be delivered to the Kremlin by U.S. officials later Wednesday.

An immediate cease-fire comes into force as soon as Ukraine, the United States, Europe, and Russia sign — with Ukraine commiting to hold elections as soon as possible afterward. Who would sign on behalf of Europe was yet to be decided.

“We have made significant progress toward finalizing the documents,” Zelensky said.

However, Kyiv wants to put the plan to the people of Ukraine in a referendum which would take at least two months.

The main sticking point of territory remains with the plan calling for the frontlines in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions to form the de facto border, while Russia will pull out of Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions.

The United States has proposed a compromise acceptable to both sides under which Ukrainian forces pull out of areas of its Donetsk region that Kyiv still controls in favor of a demilitarized “free economic zone” that Russian forces would not advance into.

“We are in a situation where the Russians want us to withdraw from Donetsk Oblast, while the Americans are trying to find a way for us not to withdraw because we are against withdrawal,” Zelensky said.

“We consider a free economic zone a potential option for a sovereign state to choose such a path. We fought for a single word — ‘potential.’ We believe that such potential economic zones can exist,” he added.

“If all regions are included and if we remain where we are, then we will reach an agreement. That is why it says ‘potential zones’ here. But if we do not agree to ‘remain where we are,’ there are two options: either the war continues, or something will have to be decided regarding all potential economic zones.”

Zelensky’s mention of other potential economic zones refers to his preferred solution to the other big outstanding issue of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since shortly after their full-scale invasion in 2022.

Ukraine opposes a U.S. plan under which Ukraine, Russia and the United States share equal control with Washington having overall jurisdiction, with Kyiv instead pushing for a U.S.-Ukraine partnership under which they would split the electricity generated 50-50.

Isak, who scored only his second Premier League goal of the season on Saturday in 10 appearances, has struggled since arriving at Anfield.

Earlier this summer, he was left out of the Newcastle squad for their pre-season tour of Asia with what the club described as a “minor thigh injury”, while it was understood he wanted to explore a move away.

Isak then trained alone at his former club Real Sociedad before joining Liverpool on deadline day.

Without a proper pre-season, he arrived short of match fitness and has started just 10 times in all competitions.

Liverpool are also without Mohamed Salah, who is with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, and the injured Cody Gakpo.

Fellow forward Hugo Ekitike, who joined in the summer from Eintracht Frankfurt, was also on target at Spurs and expected to continue to lead the line for the Reds.

The 23-year-old Frenchman has scored 11 times this term, with five in the last three league games a factor in Isak starting on the bench.

Marian La Follette, who spent 10 years as a Republican Assemblywoman from Northridge before retiring in 1990, plans to enter the state Senate race in the new district that stretches from Oxnard to the San Fernando Valley, Republican sources said Tuesday.

“I just spoke to her a little while ago, and she has made up her mind that she will be running,” said Charles H. Jelloian, a Republican from Northridge. Jelloian said he has decided to withdraw from the state Senate race, partly to make way for La Follette’s return to politics.

“Marian’s jumping into the race is a very big factor,” said Jelloian, who became acquainted with La Follette when he was an aide to state Sen. Newton R. Russell (R-Glendale). “I worked very, very well with her for a long time,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for her.”

La Follette has lived in Orange County since her retirement. She could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

If she enters the race, she could pose a formidable challenge to Assemblywoman Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) in the new 19th state Senate District. So far, Wright is the leading candidate in the district that encompasses Oxnard, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Fillmore, Simi Valley and Northridge.

“Both are new to this district,” said one Republican source. “I think they would start out about equal.”

Roger Campbell, a Republican city councilman in Fillmore, also has declared his candidacy in the heavily Republican district. No Democratic candidate has come forward in the district that has roughly 28,000 more registered Republican voters than Democrats.

La Follette, a conservative legislator, was best known for her persistent efforts to divide the massive Los Angeles Unified School District into smaller districts.

She decided to retire two years ago when her late husband, Jack, a Los Angeles lawyer, fell seriously ill with cancer.

When she was in the Legislature, she aligned herself with Sen. Ed Davis (R-Santa Clarita), who is vacating the Senate seat. Republican sources said they anticipate that Davis will support her candidacy against Wright, a longtime political foe.

La Follette’s candidacy is another indication that Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) will run for Congress. She and McClintock are strong political allies.

McClintock has toyed with the notion of running for state Senate, GOP sources said. The long-anticipated announcement of his plans has been postponed until later this week.