Volodymyr Zelensky will meet US President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Sunday for crucial talks aimed at finalising a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian president announced the meeting on Friday, expressing optimism that a deal could be reached before the new year.
Zelensky stated that his 20-point peace plan is “90 per cent ready” and that the meeting is intended to “finalise everything as much as we can”. Discussions will cover sensitive issues including the Donbas region and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, with European leaders potentially joining online.
The Kremlin confirmed that Moscow has discussed the Ukrainian proposals with Washington, after Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev brought copies from Miami last week. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the proposals have been analysed and that contact took place between Putin’s foreign policy aide and US officials.
Russia has made clear its intention to control the entire Donbas, but Zelensky has insisted Ukraine will not cede land it currently controls. According to Russian newspaper Kommersant, Putin may be open to swapping some occupied territory but wants the whole of Donbas. Peskov declined to comment on the report, saying public remarks could undermine negotiations.
Zelensky said compromises on territory should be decided by the Ukrainian people in a referendum. He also plans to raise the issue of intensifying pressure on Russia during the meeting. However, Kyiv remains wary after a previous White House meeting in February ended in a public showdown over a minerals deal that was never signed.
As talks continue, Russia has ramped up attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, including a drone and missile assault on Odesa and a strike on Kharkiv that killed two people on Friday.
