Zelensky says he will meet with Trump this Sunday: "Let's not waste a single day"

BarcelonaPeace talks in Ukraine are progressing. The most visible and public discussions are those between Washington and Kyiv. On Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed reporters. a peace plan negotiated with the United States 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, Boxing Day, Zelensky announced an in-person meeting with Trump. Furthermore, there have also been developments between the US and Russia: Moscow announced this Friday that it has resumed contacts with Washington.

"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." This is how Zelensky expressed himself this morning in a message to X. 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. The Kremlin 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. Regarding these contacts, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated in an interview on Russian state television that December 25th "will remain in our memory as a threshold, when we truly moved closer to a solution."

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. However, Moscow says it is working with a plan that differs "radically" from what Zelensky has made public.

In recent weeks, both countries have moved significantly closer to an agreement, according to Zelensky. Washington and Kyiv are closer, but there are still disagreements on two of the 20 points in the document. 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. Point 14 of the document, the text under negotiation, stipulates that Kyiv would either freeze the current front line along the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, or agree to demilitarize the Donetsk area still controlled by Ukraine and transform it into a free economic zone. For now, the Ukrainian government's preferred option is the former.

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."