EPA/ShutterstockUkraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky has mentioned he’ll meet US President Donald Trump in Florida on the weekend, as talks proceed on ending Russia’s full-scale struggle.
Zelensky mentioned he anticipated the assembly to happen on Sunday and to concentrate on a US-brokered 20-point peace plan, in addition to separate proposals for US safety ensures.
Nonetheless, in an indication of the gulf between Moscow and Kyiv, a senior Russian official mentioned that plan was “radically completely different” to the one it was negotiating with Washington.
Russia has spoken of “gradual however regular progress” in talks however has not commented on Zelensky’s provide to withdraw troops from the jap Donbas, if Russia pulls again too.
Ukraine has sought to safe ensures from the US as a part of a deal, and Zelensky has urged {that a} demilitarised “free financial zone” is a possible choice for areas of Donbas that Russia has did not take by power.
On Friday, Zelensky advised reporters that the 20-point plan was 90% full: “Our job is to verify the whole lot is 100% prepared.”
He wrote on social media: “We’re not shedding a single day. We’ve got agreed on a gathering on the highest stage – with President Trump within the close to future. Quite a bit will be determined earlier than the brand new 12 months.”
President Vladimir Putin’s senior aides have held additional talks with US officers over the telephone, after Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev returned from a gathering in Florida final weekend.
Russian Deputy Overseas Minister Sergey Ryabkov was constructive about newest developments, however accused Ukraine of attempting to “torpedo” talks on the US plan.
“I believe December 25, 2025, will stay in all our recollections as a milestone after we actually got here near an answer. However whether or not we will make the ultimate push and attain an settlement is dependent upon our work and the political will of the opposite facet,” he mentioned in feedback to Russian state TV on Friday.
Shortly after particulars of Zelensky’s imminent go to to Florida emerged, the mayor of Ukraine’s main northeastern metropolis, Kharkiv, mentioned two folks had been killed and a number of other others wounded in a Russian air strike.
ReutersZelensky has met Trump a number of occasions this 12 months, since an preliminary White Home assembly in February descended into a hostile shouting match. Their most up-to-date assembly on the White Home in October was way more amicable.
Affirmation of deliberate top-level talks got here after the Ukrainian chief mentioned he had spoken to Trump’s chief negotiators, particular envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, for an hour over the telephone on Christmas Day.
He mentioned the most recent spherical of negotiations had generated “new ideas” on how to end the war, and described it as a “actually good dialog”.
The White Home has proposed establishing what would in impact be a demilitarised zone in jap Ukraine the place each side agree to not deploy troops – a compromise that may keep away from settling the intractable query of authorized possession over the contested territory.
Zelensky signalled on Wednesday that if Ukraine had been to tug again by as much as 40km (25 miles) from the entrance line within the east to create an financial zone, then Russia must do the identical from Russian-occupied components of Ukraine’s industrial heartland within the Donbas.
Ukraine has secured a lot of modifications to an earlier 28-point draft plan, which was formulated by Steve Witkoff however broadly seen as being beneficial to Russia.
Zelensky advised reporters on Friday that the weekend talks in Florida would concentrate on a number of paperwork, together with US safety ensures and a separate financial settlement.
Nonetheless, Zelensky has repeatedly mentioned the query of territory has proved to be essentially the most troublesome challenge to resolve, together with the way forward for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant.
The White Home has proposed Ukraine and Russia cut up the power generated by the plant, the most important in Europe. Russian troops presently management it.
Russia is unlikely to comply with a lot of factors within the up to date US plan, particularly its territorial proposals. Overseas ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused “teams of states, primarily Western European” of searching for to derail the diplomatic progress that had been made.
Putin has demanded full management of Donbas, together with 25% of the Donetsk area that it has not occupied.
Zelensky outlined the most recent model of the plan this week, the primary time because the authentic 28-point draft was leaked in November.
Newest proposals commit the US and Europe to offering safety ensures modelled on Nato’s Article 5, committing allies to offering army help within the occasion Russia launches a renewed invasion.
The deal would additionally see Ukraine’s army maintained at 800,000 personnel, a stage the Kremlin has demanded be minimize.
In the meantime, preventing and aerial strikes have continued, with casualties within the central metropolis of Uman in addition to Ukraine’s second largest metropolis Kharkiv.
Ukraine’s air power mentioned on Friday it had shot down 73 drones in a single day.
Russia additionally mentioned it had shot down Ukrainian drones and missiles, together with British Storm Shadows. Ukraine’s air power mentioned it had struck oil and gasoline refineries in Rostov and Krasnodar.
