Ukraine Peace Agreement: Territory, Special Economic Zones, and Constitutional Limits

This panel from the conference International Law and Peace in Ukraine examines the territorial dimension of a possible peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. The discussion brings together three perspectives: the changing structure of peace proposals, the idea of special economic zones as a tool of peacemaking, and the constitutional constraints Ukraine would face in any attempt to formalise territorial change. This recording is part of Session III: Substantive Provision: Territory at the conference International Law and Peace in Ukraine, held on 17–18 April 2026 at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg. Speakers Prof. Marc Weller, University of Cambridge. Prof. Helmut Aust, Freie Universität Berlin. Prof. Roman Petrov, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Moderator: Dr Florian Kriener. Chapters 00:01 Florian Kriener: Session introduction and territory framing 01:07 Marc Weller: Peace proposals and legal framework 07:37 Marc Weller: Negotiation phases from Istanbul to current plans 14:09 Marc Weller: Neutrality, NATO, territory, and security guarantees 28:18 Marc Weller: Ukraine’s constitutional barrier to territorial cession 29:14 Florian Kriener: Introduction of Helmut Aust 29:52 Helmut Aust: Free economic zones and territorial peacemaking 39:00 Helmut Aust: Legal feasibility, historical analogies, and current risks 45:01 Helmut Aust: Minerals partnership, Gaza, and transactional peacemaking 52:26 Florian Kriener: Introduction of Roman Petrov 53:03 Roman Petrov: Constitutional dilemmas of a peace settlement 59:38 Roman Petrov: Martial law, referendums, and democratic legitimacy 01:13:25 Roman Petrov: Why territorial cession cannot be legalised under current conditions