Zelenskyy Says He's Open to Creating Demilitarized Zone in Ukraine's Industrial Heartland
European security questions expose tensions between alliance obligations and American interests.
Zelenskyy said the U.S. proposed the creation of a “free economic zone," which he said should be demilitarized.
Read the original story:
Military.comHow We See It
New Republican Times Editorial Board
Mainstream coverage treats Zelenskyy’s openness to a demilitarized “free economic zone” as a clever diplomatic breakthrough. It might be, but the framing skips the hard question: who enforces it, and what happens when Russia tests it the first week?
A demilitarized zone in the industrial heartland risks becoming a corridor for coercion unless it comes with verifiable enforcement, clear lines of sovereignty, and real consequences for violations. “Free economic zone” language sounds attractive, but economic activity cannot substitute for national security or hard borders that mean something.
Washington should approach this with public trust in mind: no vague commitments, no blank checks, and no promises that depend on goodwill from an aggressor. The principle at stake is institutional stability built on enforceable terms, not hopeful abstractions.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.