Zelensky says he will meet with Trump this Sunday: "Let's not waste a single day"
The meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and the US will take place in Florida, according to Axios, as Russia resumes contacts with Washington.
BarcelonaTalks between the United States and Ukraine regarding the war with Russia are progressing. On Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelensky addressed reporters a peace plan negotiated with the U.S. to end the warAnd the Ukrainian president assured that he would submit any peace agreement with Russia to a referendum or ratification. On Christmas Day, bilateral talks continued with a call between Zelensky and White House envoys. And this Friday morning, Zelensky announced an in-person meeting with Trump.
"Let's not waste a single day. We have agreed to a high-level meeting with President Trump in the near future. Much can be decided before the New Year," Zelensky said in a message to X this morning. Later, around midday, the Ukrainian president confirmed that he expects to meet with the US president this Sunday, according to the US media outlet. AxiosThe meeting is expected to take place in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, where Trump has a residence.
The aim of the meeting is to try to reach a definitive peace agreement to present to Russia, which announced this Friday that it has resumed contacts with Washington at Putin's behest, after Moscow received the peace proposal being worked on by the US and Ukraine. However, no details of this resumption of contact between the US and Russia have yet been released.
Disagreements on two points of the peace plan
For now, there is a 20-point document on the table that the Americans and Ukrainians have negotiated bilaterally. This new proposal It comes after the one initially proposed by Washington and Moscow.which practically pushed Kyiv to capitulate.
In recent weeks, both countries have significantly moved closer to an agreement, according to Zelensky. Washington and Kyiv are now closer, but disagreements remain on two of the document's 20 points. These are, firstly, point 12, which refers to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility. It is currently occupied by Russia, and the peace proposal stipulates that it will be jointly operated by Ukraine, the US, and Russia.
Secondly, the point concerning one of the thorniest issues, the cession of territory, is also generating disagreements. In point 14 of the document, the text under negotiation states that Kyiv would either freeze the current front line along the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, or agree to demilitarize the Donetsk area that Ukraine still controls and transform it into a free economic zone. For now, the Ukrainian government's preferred option is the first.
The evolution of the talks
When he released the document negotiated with the US on Wednesday, Zelensky requested a meeting with his American counterpart to resolve the two points of contention between Kyiv and Washington. A few hours later, on Christmas Day, Zelensky spoke by phone with US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law.
In a message to X, Zelensky thanked them for "the constructive approach" and "the intense work" they were undertaking. "We are working around the clock to bring an end to this brutal Russian war against Ukraine closer and to ensure that all documents and steps are realistic, effective, and secure," the Ukrainian president asserted in the mid-afternoon.
"It was a really good conversation: lots of details, good ideas, we talked about it. We have some new ideas about how to get closer to real peace, and that relates to formats, meetings, and of course, timing," Zelensky explained in a speech to the nation. But in the same speech, he also acknowledged that "some delicate issues" still need to be addressed. However, the Ukrainian president hinted at further developments: "The coming weeks may also be intense."