Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed plans to meet United States President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday as diplomatic efforts intensify to end Russia’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine.
Zelensky said the talks would focus on a United States–brokered peace plan and proposals for security guarantees for Ukraine, amid continued fighting and fresh Russian air attacks across the country.
The planned meeting comes as Washington steps up shuttle diplomacy involving Kyiv and Moscow, even as Russia continues large-scale military operations. Overnight, Russian forces launched a new wave of missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and surrounding areas, injuring at least six people, according to local authorities.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said air defence systems were actively repelling the attack, with residents reporting loud explosions across the capital. Ukraine’s air force later issued a nationwide alert, warning of continued missile and drone threats into Saturday morning.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and currently occupies significant territory in the east. Moscow controls roughly 75 per cent of Donetsk region and almost all of neighbouring Luhansk, together known as the Donbas.
Zelensky said Ukraine remains committed to securing strong security guarantees from the United States as part of any peace deal. He disclosed that a proposed 20-point framework for ending the war is about 90 per cent complete.
“Our task is to make sure everything is 100 per cent ready,” Zelensky told reporters, adding that high-level talks with Trump could help resolve outstanding issues before the end of the year.
In a social media post, Zelensky said the meeting with Trump could be decisive. “We are not losing a single day. We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level. A lot can be decided before the new year,” he wrote.
The White House is understood to be promoting a proposal that would establish a demilitarised zone in eastern Ukraine, effectively freezing the front line while avoiding an immediate settlement of territorial claims. Zelensky has suggested a similar idea, proposing a demilitarised “free economic zone” in parts of Donbas that Russia has failed to capture by force.
However, Russia has signalled strong resistance. A senior Russian official described the US-backed proposal as “radically different” from discussions Moscow has held with Washington. The Kremlin has yet to comment on Zelensky’s suggestion that Ukrainian forces could withdraw from parts of Donbas if Russian troops also pull back.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said recent diplomatic contacts brought the sides “close to a solution” but accused Ukraine of attempting to derail talks. “Whether we can make the final push depends on political will,” he said in comments aired on Russian state television.
Trump, speaking in an interview published Friday, suggested that Zelensky’s position ultimately depends on US approval. “He doesn’t have anything until I approve it,” Trump said, adding that he expected discussions with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to “go good.” Trump also said he expects to speak with Putin soon.
Putin’s aides have continued talks with US officials in recent days, including follow-up conversations after a Kremlin envoy returned from meetings in Florida last weekend.
Shortly after news of Zelensky’s planned visit emerged, Russian air strikes hit Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, killing at least two people and injuring several others, according to local officials.
Zelensky and Trump have met several times this year. An early White House meeting in February reportedly ended in heated exchanges, but their most recent encounter in October was described as cordial.
The Ukrainian leader said momentum toward talks increased after he held a one-hour phone call on Christmas Day with Trump’s chief negotiators. He described the conversation as “really good” and said it produced new ideas on ending the war.
Despite progress on security guarantees and economic cooperation, Zelensky has acknowledged that territorial issues and the future of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain the most difficult obstacles. The US has reportedly suggested joint management or energy-sharing arrangements for the plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility.
Russia has repeatedly insisted that Ukraine must withdraw entirely from Donbas as a precondition for peace, rejecting any compromise on territorial control.
As fighting continues on the ground, the planned Florida talks are shaping up as a potentially pivotal moment in efforts to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.