Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday in pursuit of a deal to end Russia’s nearly four-year invasion.
Zelenskyy told reporters on Friday that he’d discuss sensitive issues with Trump including the future of the Donbas region in Ukraine’s east and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
The Ukrainian leader said he plans to refine Kyiv’s agreements with the U.S. to the maximum extent possible, potentially as soon as Sunday’s discussions, while the comprehensive 20-point peace plan would then require input from Russia and Europe.
For now, Ukraine has no direct communication with Moscow, Zelenskyy said, adding that his country’s framework deal with the U.S. was “almost ready” and signing it would depend on the meeting with Trump.
Zelenskyy said he’d like European leaders to be present online during his meetings with the U.S.
The larger 20-point peace plan — which Zelenskyy characterized as “90% ready” — can’t be signed without Russia and Europe, who are parties to the possible deal draft alongside Ukraine and U.S., he said.
A total of five documents developed by negotiators from Ukraine and U.S. are being tweaked on the daily basis, Zelenskyy said. Those cover topics such as a post-war security plan for Ukraine and an economic recovery deal likely to spawn several separate agreements.
Some issues remain, though, that can only be discussed at the leaders’ level, he said.
Separately, Ukraine is convening a working group on organizing post-war elections, Zelenskyy said. A potential referendum on aspects of the nation’s future is one of the elements of the 20-point plan.
Zelenskyy on Thursday spoke with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for almost an hour, in what the Ukrainian president called “a very good conversation.”
The White House didn’t provide a readout of those talks, and hasn’t commented on a potential meeting with Zelenskyy. Trump is spending the Christmas break at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach.
Separately, the Kremlin said earlier that its representatives had made contact with the U.S. at President Vladimir Putin’s direction.
The Kremlin has now reviewed information delivered to Putin by his envoy Kirill Dmitriev following recent talks with the U.S. in Miami, Interfax reported on Friday, citing Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Earlier this week, a person close to the Kremlin told Bloomberg News that Moscow will seek key changes to the U.S.- Ukraine plan, including more restrictions on Kyiv’s military.
Russia regards the 20-point plan as a starting point for further talks, but also believes that it fails to answer many questions, the person said.
Zelenskyy said Friday he also wants to discuss with Trump how the U.S. could apply more pressure to Russia if Putin doesn’t agree to sign the peace deal.
Putin continues to press Russia’s maximalist demands including for Kyiv to give up land in Donbas that his troops have failed to capture for more than a decade of hostilities.
Ukraine rejects that demand, fearing that surrendering the heavily-fortified area would leave it vulnerable to a new Russian attack.
However, Zelenskyy signaled earlier this week that he was open to the idea of creating a special economic zone in the eastern part of Donbas, as envisaged by the U.S., and pull his troops — but only if Russia does the same.
As pressure to reach an end to hostilities increases, Kremlin forces continue regular missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, with a recent focus on Odesa, while Kyiv’s forces have targeted Russia’s oil refineries and gas plants.
At least one person was killed and several civilians injured in the Black Sea city on Friday, with port infrastructure, warehouses and two civilian vessels damaged, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram. Air barrages were also aimed at Kharkiv in the northeast, Cherkasy in central Ukraine and Mykolaiv in the south, among other locations.
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—With assistance from Deana Kjuka.
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