The Kabul Tribune (KT) — Reuters reports that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday in Florida, seeking to advance a plan to end the war in Ukraine, amid signs that major obstacles to peace remain.
According to Reuters, the meeting took place at Trump’s
Mar-a-Lago residence, shortly after Trump held a phone call with Russian
President Vladimir Putin — a call Trump described as “productive” and the
Kremlin termed “friendly.”
Zelenskiy has said he hopes to soften a U.S. proposal that
would require Ukrainian forces to withdraw completely from the Donbas region in
eastern Ukraine — a long-standing Russian demand that would mean ceding
territory currently held by Kyiv’s forces.
Reuters notes that Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov
said Putin told Trump a proposed 60-day ceasefire backed by the European Union
and Ukraine would only prolong the war, adding that Ukraine needs to make a
swift decision regarding territory in Donbas.
The talks came as Russian air strikes intensified pressure
on Ukraine. On Saturday, Russia launched hundreds of missiles and drones at
Kyiv and other regions, knocking out power and heating systems in parts of the
capital. Zelenskiy described the attacks as Moscow’s response to U.S.-brokered
peace efforts, while Trump said he believes both Putin and Zelenskiy are
serious about reaching a deal.
“I do think we have the makings of a deal,” Trump told
reporters, adding that he planned to call Putin again after his meeting with
Zelenskiy.
Reuters reports that Zelenskiy intends to discuss the future
of the contested Donbas region, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and
broader security arrangements with Trump. While Kyiv and Washington are said to
agree on many points of a proposed 20-point peace plan, disagreements over
territorial concessions remain unresolved.
Russia continues to insist that Ukraine relinquish all of
Donbas, while Kyiv wants any settlement based on current battle lines. Moscow
claims steady battlefield gains in recent months and has warned it will
continue the war if Kyiv does not seek a rapid peace.
European allies, meanwhile, are working to outline post-war
security guarantees for Ukraine, fearing that concessions to Russia could
embolden Moscow and threaten wider regional stability, Reuters reports.
