Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Donald Trump as the two presidents tried to hammer out a final peace deal aimed at bringing a halt to Russia’s war on Ukraine—Europe’s largest and bloodiest conflict since World War II.
The December 28 meeting at Trump’s Florida estate—the culmination of weeks of phone and shuttle diplomacy – was the most tangible sign of progress in talks to end the fighting, which, nearly four years in, has killed or wounded more than 1.5 million men on both sides.
“Gotta make a deal. Gotta get it done. Too many people dying,” Trump told reporters as he welcomed Zelenskyy.
“I think both presidents want to make a deal,” he added, referring to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Trump, who said during his election campaign he could settle the war in one day, has been frustrated by his inability to use what he sees as his businessman’s acumen to break through the fighting.
He’s dispatched his chief envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow six times to meet with Putin. Trump himself met with the Russian leader in Alaska in August.
Last month, the White House released a 28-point plan that was seen as heavily favorable to Russia. Zelenskyy and his negotiators – along with Kyiv’s European allies -- have sought to draft counterproposals.
Zelenskyy’s plan, released last week, paved the way for the Ukrainian leader to fly to the United States and meet with Trump.
Shortly before the talks at the Mar a Lago estate began, Trump and Putin spoke by phone, a call the Kremlin said lasted more than an hour and was done at Trump's request. In a post to social media, Trump described it as "good and very productive."
Amid the diplomacy and negotiations, Russia has shown little inclination for compromise, even refusing to consider a Christmas truce proposed by Zelenskyy.
A day before the talks, Russia pounded the Ukrainian capital and surrounding districts leaving nearly 1 million homes without electricity amid temperatures hovering around freezing.
In another clear signal, Putin met with top military commanders, lauding battlefield successes, asserting Ukraine was to blame for the war, and showing no intention for compromise.
If Kyiv does not wish “to settle the matter peacefully," Russia will achieve its objectives by force, Putin said, reiterating comments he has made several times in recent weeks.
"These are some of the most active diplomatic days of the year, and much can be resolved before the New Year," the Ukrainian leader wrote on social media before the meeting.
Before traveling to Florida, Zelenskyy met in Halifax with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who offered support for Ukraine, saying that Russia's "barbarism...shows just how important it is that we stand with Ukraine."
Afterward, Zelenskyy held a conference call with European leaders and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen called for "a just and lasting peace that preserves Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Ukraine's 20-Point Peace Plan
One of the critical issues at the heart of current negotiations is the fate of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.
Most of that territory is under Russian control and Moscow has demanded that Kyiv turn over the parts Russia does not hold. That includes two major cities -- Kramatorsk and Slovyansk -- which are linchpins for Ukrainian defenses in the area.
The other critical issue is the fate of Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant. The Zaporizhzhya region facility, which was Ukraine's largest single source of electricity, has been under Russian control since shortly after the start of the invasion.
Zelenskyy has proposed putting the plant under joint control between Ukraine and the United States, with Washington netting profits from the sale of the plant’s electricity -- including potentially to Moscow.
The Kremlin, which believes it has the upper hand both on the battlefield and in the peace negotiations, has shown little willingness to compromise on its hard-line demands -- most of which predate the invasion.
Russia Claims Towns Taken
In his meeting with top Russian generals – a video of which was released by the Kremlin late on December 27 -- Putin lauded Russian forces and claimed capture of two additional Ukrainian towns -- Myrnohrad and Hulyaypole.
Myrnohrad, in Ukraine's Donetsk region, is close to Pokrovsk, an important logistical hub that Moscow has prioritized for nearly a year and claimed to have captured earlier this month. Hulyaypole is a frontline town in the southeastern Zaporizhzhya region.
Russian claims could not immediately be verified; Moscow has regularly claimed battlefield victories that have turned out to be premature or outright false. The Ukrainian military said it had beaten back attacks on Myrnohrad and Hulyaypole.
Another key hurdle to peace is security guarantees for Ukraine once the war ends. Without them, Kyiv fears Russia will eventually attack it once again.
Zelenskyy has indicated that security guarantees involve several documents that need to be discussed, while economic agreements are still at the "basic groundwork" stage.
US envoys attending talks in Berlin earlier this month reportedly offered NATO-style security guarantees for Kyiv thought to be along the lines of the alliance's Article 5, which states that an attack against one member of the alliance is considered an attack against all.
However, blocking Ukraine from joining the military alliance has been a central position of Moscow's since before the start of the war. It's unclear if NATO-like security guarantees would be opposed by the Kremlin.
