In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced his upcoming meeting with President Trump on Sunday in Florida. Their main focus? Resolving the last points of contention in the draft deal designed to conclude the nearly four-year conflict with Russia.
Zelensky has emphasized the need for a summit with Trump to address the remaining discrepancies within the 20-point draft agreement and other aspects of the peace talks currently unfolding between the U.S. and Ukraine. This has been confirmed by a White House representative.
Over the past few weeks, negotiators from Ukraine and the U.S. have been refining the peace plan, initially crafted by Trump’s advisors Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with insights from the Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Key issues still left to hammer out include the future of around 20% of the Donetsk region that Ukrainian forces currently manage but which Russia is demanding be returned, the operational status of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant under Russian control, and comprehensive security guarantees Russia would expect from Washington.
Zelensky stated via an audio message shared with reporters on Friday, “The draft plan we are working on is 90% complete. Our role now is to ensure that we make it 100% firm. It’s challenging, and achieving perfection right away is unrealistic. However, we must move closer to our objectives with every such conversation and every meeting.”
It’s uncertain if Russia will accept the negotiated deal outlined by Kyiv and Washington. A major aim for Ukraine and its European partners is to help Trump recognize that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a significant hurdle in achieving peace, rather than Zelensky himself.
Ukraine is hesitant to relinquish any territory in Donetsk due to constitutional prohibitions. The U.S. has put forth the idea of establishing a demilitarized “free economic zone” in that area, a concept Zelensky seems willing to consider if it coincides with Russian troop withdrawals from occupied regions of Donetsk.
The initiative for this meeting sprouted after Zelensky’s hour-long discussion on Thursday with Witkoff and Kushner. Dmitriev had already communicated with them in Florida to relay actions proposed by Putin.
While Ukraine hasn’t heard back from the Kremlin regarding this latest iteration of the deal, Zelensky plans to push for heightened pressure from the U.S. if Russia is reluctant to engage constructively.
As per Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, discussions between the Kremlin and the U.S. are nearing a resolution regarding the Ukraine conflict, but he cautioned against setting any deadlines for this to occur. Reports from state news agency TASS indicated that the plan being talked about by the U.S. and Russia diverges from what Ukraine has publicized, as noted by RIA Novosti.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov affirmed on Friday that the Kremlin welcomes continued discussions with the U.S. following Dmitriev’s briefing with Putin, according to insights from TASS.
In preparation for the Sunday meetings with the U.S., Zelensky indicated he was in consultation with European allies about their role, hinting that they are likely to participate online.
The draft arrangement involves holding a referendum in Ukraine regarding territorial agreements, as well as presidential elections. David Arakhamia, head of Zelensky’s parliamentary faction, revealed on Friday that Ukraine is starting preparations for this vote, which may be conducted both in-person and online to facilitate participation from millions of Ukrainians living abroad.
Contact: Anastasiia Malenko at anastasiia.malenko@wsj.com
