Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced he will meet US President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday, as discussions persist regarding the ending of Russia’s extensive war.
Zelensky expressed his desire to concentrate on a US-mediated peace plan and distinct proposals for security assurances from the US. A high-ranking Russian official stated that the proposal was “significantly different” from the one Russia was discussing with the US.
The Kremlin has not responded to Zelensky’s proposal to withdraw forces from Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, provided that Russia also retreats.
At least five individuals were hurt in the capital, Kyiv, during a new series of Russian air strikes, according to the mayor. One more individual was injured in the Kyiv area.
Kyiv’s mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko, announced that Ukraine’s air defense units were countering the assault, while witnesses noted explosions in the city.
The Russian assault persisted on Saturday morning, with Ukraine’s air force cautioning that a drone and missile danger is active across the entire nation.
In February 2022, Russia commenced a comprehensive invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow now governs roughly 75% of the Donetsk region and approximately 99% of the adjacent Luhansk. The areas are commonly referred to as Donbas.
Ukraine has aimed to obtain assurances from the US as part of a peace agreement, and Zelensky has proposed that a demilitarized “free economic zone” might be a viable alternative for regions of Donbas that Russia has not captured through aggression.
On Friday, Zelensky informed reporters that the 20-point plan was 90% finished: “Our goal is to ensure everything is 100% prepared.”
He wrote on social media, “We are not losing a single day. We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level—with President Trump in the near future. A lot can be decided before the new year.”
However, in an interview with Politico published on Friday, Trump said his Ukrainian counterpart “doesn’t have anything until I approve it.”
“I think it’s going to go well with him. I think it’s going to go good with [Vladimir] Putin,” Trump said.
He also stated that he expects to speak with the Russian president “soon.”
Senior aides of Putin engaged in additional phone discussions with US officials after Kremlin representative Kirill Dmitriev came back from a meeting in Florida last weekend.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov expressed optimism regarding recent developments, yet he alleged that Ukraine was attempting to “sabotage” discussions on the US proposal.
“I think December 25, 2025, will remain in all our memories as a milestone when we truly came close to a solution. But whether we can make the final push and reach an agreement depends on our work and the political will of the other side,” he said in comments to Russian state TV on Friday.
Soon after news of Zelensky’s upcoming trip to Florida surfaced, the mayor of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the northeast, reported that two individuals had died and several others were injured in a Russian air strike.
Zelensky has encountered Trump multiple times this year, following a February meeting at the White House that devolved into a confrontational argument. Their latest gathering at the White House in October was much friendlier.
The planned high-level discussions were confirmed after the Ukrainian leader mentioned that he had a one-hour phone call with Trump’s chief negotiators, special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, on Christmas Day.
He mentioned that the most recent round of talks produced “fresh concepts” for resolving the conflict and characterized it as a “very positive discussion.”
The White House has suggested creating a demilitarized zone in eastern Ukraine where both parties consent to refrain from sending troops—a solution that would bypass resolving the difficult issue of legal ownership of the disputed area.
On Wednesday, Zelensky indicated that if Ukraine were to retreat by as much as 40 km (25 miles) from the eastern front line to establish an economic zone, Russia would also need to withdraw from the Russian-held areas of Ukraine’s industrial region in the Donbas.
Ukraine has achieved several modifications to the previous 28-point draft proposal, initially created by Witkoff, that was largely perceived as biased toward Russia.
Zelensky informed journalists on Friday that the discussions over the weekend in Florida would concentrate on various documents, encompassing US security assurances and an independent economic agreement.
Zelensky has consistently stated that the territorial question has emerged as the toughest challenge to address, alongside the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
The White House has suggested that Ukraine and Russia share the energy produced by the plant, which is the largest in Europe. It is currently under the control of Russian troops.
It is improbable that Russia will accept several aspects of the revised US plan, particularly its territorial recommendations. Foreign Ministry Representative Maria Zakharova claimed that “coalitions of countries, mainly from Western Europe,” are attempting to undermine the diplomatic advancements achieved.
Putin has consistently cautioned that Ukrainian forces need to leave all of Donbas, or Russia will take control of it, dismissing any negotiations regarding a resolution to the conflict.
Zelensky presented the most recent iteration of the plan this week, marking the first occasion since the original 28-point proposal was disclosed in November.
Recent proposals bind the US and Europe to offer security assurances based on NATO’s Article 5, obligating allies to furnish military assistance if Russia initiates another invasion.
The agreement would also maintain Ukraine’s military at 800,000 personnel, a figure the Kremlin has insisted must be reduced.
