Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he will meet US President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday. It is expected to be high stakes encounter that could shape the endgame of the nearly four-year war with Russia. He told reporters the talks will focus on security guarantees for Ukraine and a 20-point peace plan that negotiators from Kyiv and Washington say is “about 90% ready.”
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Zelenskyy framed the moment as a race against time, saying his government is “not wasting a single day” in trying to turn battlefield stalemate into a political settlement.
Looming Florida meeting
The Florida meeting follows what Zelenskyy described as a “productive conversation” with Trump’s envoys, including US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Those talks, held this week, were aimed at ironing out the most sensitive elements of the draft plan before the two leaders sat down face-to-face. Zelenskyy suggested that “a lot can be determined before the New Year,” hinting at his desire to show Ukrainians real movement toward ending the war.
Peace plan and tough trade-offs
At the heart of the emerging deal is a proposal for Ukraine to pull back its troops from parts of the eastern industrial region, known as the Donbas, in exchange for a mutual withdrawal by Russian forces and the creation of a demilitarised zone monitored by international peacekeepers.
Zelenskyy has signaled he is prepared to accept such an arrangement in areas still under Kyiv’s control if it can lock in a durable ceasefire. It would mark the most far-reaching territorial compromise Ukraine has been willing to discuss since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
The demilitarised zone would also double as a free economic zone, an attempt to turn a devastated frontline into a space for cross-border trade rather than shelling. US negotiators have pushed this hybrid model, betting that shared economic interests could make renewed fighting less appealing for both sides.
Yet Russia has given no sign it is ready to withdraw from land it has seized and continues to demand that Ukraine relinquish the remaining parts of Donbas it still holds, a red line Kyiv has repeatedly rejected.
Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and unresolved flashpoints
Territory remains the hardest knot to untie in the talks. Zelenskyy says he wants the Florida meeting to tackle not only Donbas, but also the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest, which has been under Russian control since the early days of the invasion.
One idea under discussion is a second demilitarised zone around the plant, coupled with some form of joint or international management to reduce the risk of catastrophe.
Other points in the 20‑point plan appear closer to agreement, including long-term security guarantees and the shape of Ukraine’s postwar armed forces. But Russia’s refusal so far to entertain any withdrawal from occupied regions has fuelled anxiety in Kyiv that the deal could tilt too far toward Moscow’s terms. Zelenskyy has warned that Ukraine faces one of the most difficult choices in its modern history, caught between preserving its dignity and sovereignty and the risk of losing a crucial ally if it says no.
Elections, legitimacy and political pressure
Domestic politics are also woven into the negotiations as Zelenskyy has said Ukraine will only hold a presidential election after a peace agreement is signed, arguing that meaningful democratic competition is impossible while missiles are falling on cities and millions remain displaced. Trump, by contrast, has publicly pressed for elections to go ahead, and Russia has tried to use the delay to question Zelenskyy’s legitimacy.
The Ukrainian president is also under pressure from within. A grinding war, corruption scandals and repeated Russian strikes on energy infrastructure have tested public patience. Trump’s team, meanwhile, has made clear they see this as a moment to close the file: the president has boasted he has a “pathway to achieve peace” and has suggested Zelenskyy will ultimately have to endorse it.
In an exclusive interview with Politico, Trump said that he hopes the meeting will “go good,” but he warned that Zelenskyy “doesn’t have anything until I approve it.” He added that he is expecting speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin “soon, as much as I want.”
War continues as diplomacy advances
Even as diplomats work on the phones, the Ukraine war on the ground goes on. Overnight into Friday, Russian drone attacks on the southern city of Mykolaiv and nearby areas knocked out power to parts of the city as crews raced to restore electricity. Ukrainian officials accuse Moscow of again trying to “weaponise winter” by targeting power plants, heating systems and water supplies in the coldest months.
Ukraine has been striking back deep inside Russia. On Thursday, its forces hit the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov region, using British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, according to Ukraine’s General Staff. Multiple explosions were reported, and regional authorities said at least one firefighter was injured while battling the blaze.
Kyiv’s strategy is to chip away at Russia’s oil export revenues, a financial lifeline for the war effort, even as it leans harder than ever on Washington to secure not just weapons, but a peace deal.