Zelensky to discuss ending Russia war in Sunday meeting with Trump

International Desk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with US President Donald Trump this weekend as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts to stop Russia’s full-scale aggression. According to Zelensky, the meeting is scheduled to take place on Sunday in Florida, USA.

Zelensky said the US-beneficiary 20-point peace proposal and possible security guarantees from Washington will be the main focus of the talks. He added that 90 percent of the work on the proposal has already been completed and the main goal is now to finalize the rest.

But a senior Russian official said the US-brokered plan was “fundamentally different” from the draft in ongoing talks between Russia and the US, indicating a wide gap between Moscow and Kiev. Russia has not publicly commented on Zelensky’s proposal for a mutual withdrawal of troops from the eastern Donbass, although it has spoken of “slow but steady progress” in recent talks.

Ukraine is seeking security guarantees from Washington as part of this process. Zelensky has indicated that the possibility of creating demilitarized “free economic zones” in some areas of Donbas where Russia has not been able to establish control is under discussion. The US proposal also raises the issue of creating a de facto demilitarized zone in eastern Ukraine, where both sides would promise not to deploy forces.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Zelensky said, “90 percent of the 20-point plan is ready. Our task is to take things 100 percent.” He mentioned on social media that it may be possible to reach many important decisions before the end of the year.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Politico, Trump said the Ukrainian proposal “cannot move forward without his approval,” although he expressed optimism about talks with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also hinted at speaking with Putin soon.

Meanwhile, Russian officials have held more phone calls with the United States since the Kremlin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev returned from a meeting in Florida. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov described recent progress as positive, but accused Ukraine of “attempting to disrupt” the talks.

Shortly after news of Zelensky’s Florida visit was released, the mayor of the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv confirmed that two people had been killed and several others injured in a Russian airstrike.

Zelensky identified the Donbas territorial question and the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as the two most complex issues in the ongoing talks. The United States has proposed that the two countries share the energy generated by the plant, Europe’s largest, currently under Russian control.

Russia, however, remains adamant in its demand for full control of Donbass and is unlikely to agree to several territorial proposals in the updated US plan.

Meanwhile, fighting and airstrikes continue on the battlefield. The Ukrainian Air Force said it shot down 73 drones on Thursday night. Russia also claimed to have intercepted Ukrainian drones and missiles, including British-made Storm Shadows. At the same time, Ukraine claimed to have retaliated by striking oil and gas installations in Russia’s Rostov and Krasnodar regions.

Sunday’s meeting has drawn attention in regional and global diplomatic circles, as it is seen as an important step towards a possible political solution to the war in Ukraine.