Trump meets with Zelensky to promote Ukraine peace plan

President Donald Trump welcomed the Ukrainian president on Sunday Volodymyr Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago resort and said he had a “productive” call with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin In Trump’s last attempt to end the war between the two countries.

“I believe we have the elements of a deal that is good for Ukraine, good for everyone,” Trump said after meeting with Zelensky in person during brief remarks before the talks. The two men then disappeared behind the heavy gates of Mar-a-Lago.

Earlier Sunday during a Truth Social jobTrump said he had a “good and very productive phone call” with Putin before the peace talks with Zelensky. Trump told reporters on Sunday that he planned to recall Putin after the meeting with Zelensky concluded.

The high-stakes conversations come at a key moment in efforts to end nearly four years of war sparked when Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022.

Zelensky, who arrived in Florida early Sunday, said the two leaders planned to discuss economic and security agreements as well as “territorial issues” that remain major sticking points between Russia and Ukraine.

While Zelensky told reporters this week that a 20-point peace proposal was about 90 percent ready, it is unclear whether the outcome of the peace talks would be acceptable to Putin. The main obstacles to a deal with Russia include the areas of Donbass most coveted by Putin, US security guarantees for Ukraine and the status of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.

Moscow has reportedly made gains on the battlefield in recent months, claiming control of more parts of eastern Ukraine, and its officials have repeatedly insisted that Ukraine abandon all of Donbas, even those parts that are still under kyiv’s control.

On Saturday, Russia struck the Ukrainian capital and other parts of the country with hundreds of missiles and drones, cutting off electricity and heat in parts of the capital, according to Reuters. Zelenskyy called it Russia’s response to U.S.-brokered peace efforts.

The peace proposal includes calls for a Ukrainian vote on ceding the disputed territory to Russia, as well as a demilitarized “free economic zone” in Donetsk, the capital and largest city in part of the greater Donbass region.

Zelensky Sunday sharp to attacks on his country’s energy infrastructure as part of peace efforts and indicated that part of his motivation was to keep pressure on Russia, including sanctions and defense technology for Ukraine.

“It is currently one of the most active diplomatic days of the year, and a lot can be decided before the New Year,” Zelensky said. said on the social network

Earlier on Sunday, a Kremlin official said U.S. and Russian leaders agreed to oppose a temporary ceasefire amid negotiations and suggested Ukraine needed to make a “bold decision” regarding the Donbass region to end the war.

“The main thing is that the Russian and American presidents share the same point of view, according to which the option of a temporary ceasefire proposed by the Ukrainians and Europeans under the pretext of preparing a referendum or under other pretexts only leads to a prolongation of the conflict,” Yuri Ushakov, Kremlin foreign policy adviser, told Reuters.

In his Truth Social article, Trump said his meeting with Zelenskyy would take place in the main dining room of his Mar-a-Lago resort, with the media present.

In February, a meeting between Trump and Zelensky over possible mining deals between the two countries has become a public spectacle, with Trump and the vice president J.D. Vance accusing Zelensky of being “disrespectful” to the American president.