On Sunday afternoon, December 28th, US President Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. The meeting between Trump and Zelensky, following several rounds of discussions between the US and Ukraine teams, will focus on resolving sensitive issues such as territorial disputes. The world is watching closely to see if the two leaders can finalize a plan to end the conflict in Ukraine.
A more challenging aspect is whether Russian President Putin will accept any agreement reached between Trump and Zelensky, even if they reach one during Sunday’s meeting.
Prior to the meeting, Zelensky told the media that he plans to discuss the fate of the disputed eastern Donbas region, the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and other issues.
Russia insists on Ukraine handing over the entire Donbas region, including areas currently under Ukrainian control.
Zelensky is now not ruling out the possibility of making concessions and has stated that if Russia agrees to a ceasefire, he will submit the peace plan to a nationwide referendum.
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsya posted on social media platform X that Zelensky and his delegation arrived in Florida on Saturday evening.
“Good evening, Florida!” Kyslytsya wrote.
Residents of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, expressed both hope and skepticism regarding the meeting in Florida in interviews with Reuters on Sunday.
“I hope this will all end soon – that’s what we hope for here,” said 44-year-old soldier Stanyslav. “In this situation, we have no cards to play.”
The meeting between Trump and Zelensky is scheduled for Sunday afternoon local time. Zelensky spoke with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in a one-hour phone call last week before arranging the meeting with Trump.
Earlier this month, Trump had stated that he did not see any point in meeting with Zelensky or his European allies unless they were close to reaching an agreement.
The meeting with Zelensky indicates that negotiations between the US and Ukraine have reached the final stages. A US official earlier this month stated that 90% of the terms of the peace agreement with Ukraine had been finalized. Zelensky confirmed this on Friday, saying that 20 out of 90 points of the peace plan have been completed. However, the issue of which territories (if any) will be ceded to Russia remains unresolved.
The day before Trump and Zelensky’s meeting, Russian President Putin continued to pressure Ukraine, warning that Russia would continue to fight if Ukraine does not quickly seek peace by making concessions. Over the past few months, Russia has steadily advanced on the Ukrainian battlefield and claimed to have control of more settlements on Sunday.
On Saturday, December 27th, Russia intensified its pressure on Zelensky by launching hundreds of missiles and drone attacks on Ukraine, causing power outages and heating disruptions in parts of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
(Adapted from Reuters)