Zelenskyy Says Meeting With Trump Planned To Discuss Peace Proposal

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on December 26 that he will meet with US President Donald Trump, likely over the weekend, as Washington accelerates efforts to broker a peace agreement between Kyiv and Moscow.

Zelenskyy announced the planned meeting on social media, saying he received a report from National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov about new contacts with US officials.

“We are not losing a single day. We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level –- with President Trump in the near future,” Zelenskyy said, adding that “much could be decided before the New Year.” Trump has not publicly confirmed plans for such a meeting.

In later remarks to journalists, Zelensky said he expects the meeting to take place on December 28 in Florida, where he will discuss finalizing key documents with Trump.

Speaking to Axios, Zelenskyy also suggested that if Russia agrees to a cease-fire of at least 60 days, Kyiv would be willing to put forward the plan -- potentially agreed upon with Trump this weekend -- for a national referendum.

The development comes as US, Ukrainian, and European negotiators work on a 20-point peace framework aimed at ending the war with Russia.

In his December 26 comments to reporters, Zelenskyy said the 20-point peace plan is now "90 percent ready," with teams working to complete the remaining details.

"Our goal is to make sure everything is 100% ready. It's not easy," the Ukrainian president said, adding that each meeting should "bring the desired result closer." He emphasized that Ukraine has been communicating exclusively with the United States and has not received an official reaction from Russia to the proposed framework. "

"The Americans, in turn, are communicating with the Russians. And I think we will know their official reaction in the coming days," Zelenskyy added.

Kyiv Residents Skeptical As Zelenskyy Signals Possible Talks With Trump On Ending War

The plan, unveiled by Zelensky earlier this week, includes provisions on security guarantees for Ukraine, reconstruction, and a road map to cease hostilities.

Zelensky indicated that security guarantees involve several documents that need to be discussed, while economic agreements are still at the "basic groundwork" stage.

He confirmed that sensitive issues, including the Donbas region, much of which is under Russian occupation, and the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian control since 2022, will be on the agenda, along with Ukraine’s military force levels.

SEE ALSO: Zelenskyy Unveils 20-Point Peace Plan With Security Guarantees And EU Path For Ukraine

Representatives from Russia also took part in US-hosted discussions in Miami on December 20–21, though the Kremlin later cautioned against viewing the talks as a breakthrough.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on December 26 that Moscow had analyzed information provided to Russian President Vladimir Putin by his special envoy Kirill Dmitriev after talks in Miami, and that, on Putin's instructions, contacts have already taken place between Russian and US officials.

Peskov added that the sides had agreed to continue the dialogue, noting that Russia was represented by Yury Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy aide, while the White House was represented by several interlocutors.

Strikes On Odesa

Meanwhile, according to Ukrainian officials, Russia has continued to strike Ukraine in recent days, escalating attacks on the southern Odesa region.

Russian forces launched an Iskander-M missile and 99 attack drones at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian Air Force reported.

"Today, the enemy attacked our city again," Serhiy Lysak, the head of the Odesa military administration said on December 26, adding that a drone attack hit an infrastructure facility in the city, causing a fire.

The Russian overnight strikes damaged vessels flying the flags of Slovakia, Palau, and Liberia in ports in Ukraine's Odesa and Mykolayiv regions, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Kuleba reported on Telegram.

Elsewhere, the Russian Army dropped an aerial bomb on "one of Kharkiv’s most important highways," the city’s mayor, Ihor Terekhov reported on Telegram on December 26.

Regional Governor Oleh Synehubov later added that two people were killed and eight injured in the incident.

The Russian Army also carried out a missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Uman in the Cherkasy region, according to the regional authorities.

Six people, including two children, were injured, and residential infrastructure was damaged, the governor of Cherkasy region, Ihor Taburets, wrote on Telegram on December 26.

A bipartisan group of US senators has condemned Russia's attacks on Ukrainian civilians during the Christmas holiday.

"We condemn Russia's brutal attacks on Kherson, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, Donetsk, and Kryviy Rih waged on innocent Ukrainians," the statement released on December 25 said.

"Even for countries at war, there is a long history of Christmas cease-fires, including notably during World War I. Today's decision by Putin to launch attacks rather than hold fire is a sobering reminder for us all: Putin is a ruthless murderer who has no interest in peace and cannot be trusted," the statement added.