(The Hill) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that he will meet with President Trump in the “near future,” leaving open the possibility for more peace talks between Ukraine and Russia before the end of the year.
“We are not losing a single day,” Zelensky wrote on the social platform X. “We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level — with President Trump in the near future. A lot can be decided before the New Year. Glory to Ukraine!”
Zelensky told reporters on Friday that he plans to meet with Trump in Florida on Sunday, CNN and The Associated Press reported. Ukrainian officials also confirmed with Axios that the meeting was being held on Sunday. The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
The Ukrainian leader said he hopes he and his American counterpart can “finalize as much as we can” but did not say if the meeting would lead to a solid agreement, CNN reported. He added that his 20-point peace plan introduced this week “is 90% ready” and the “task is to bring it to 100%,” Zelensky told The Kyiv Post.
“Every meeting and every conversation brings us closer to the desired result,” Zelensky told the Post.
Zelensky previously said he, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner “discussed certain substantive details” of the ongoing peace talks Thursday. The Ukrainian leader wrote on X that “good ideas … can work toward a shared outcome and the lasting peace.”
“I hope that today’s Christmas understandings and the ideas we discussed will prove useful,” Zelensky added.
Zelensky also released the 20-point peace plan Tuesday, with concessions to Russia while also forming a “fortress belt” in the Donetsk region to keep Ukraine protected from any future invasions. Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to acquire the region through the peace negotiations.
The plan also offers Ukrainians a vote on the peace deal’s terms through a referendum. Zelensky told reporters Tuesday that a ceasefire must be in place in order for the referendum to be “legitimate,” CNN reported.
Other conditions in the plan include a peace council chaired by Trump and, instead of ceding land, a demilitarized zone for both sides to withdraw their troops.
“If we establish a free economic zone here, and it envisages a virtually demilitarized zone — meaning heavy forces are removed from this area — and the distance, for example, is 40 kilometers (it could be 5, 10, or 40 kilometers) — then if these two cities, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, are our free economic zone, the Russians would have to pull back their troops accordingly by 5, 10, or 40 kilometers,” Zelensky said Tuesday.
In a separate message on Christmas, Zelensky shared that many Ukrainians want to see Putin dead before adding that “when we turn to God, of course, we ask for something greater.”
“We ask for peace for Ukraine,” the president added. “We fight for it. And we pray for it. And we deserve it, so that every Ukrainian family lives in harmony.”
On Sunday, Witkoff said Ukraine “remains fully committed to achieving a just and sustainable peace” and that the top priority for the U.S. “is to stop the killing, ensure guaranteed security, and create conditions for Ukraine’s recovery, stability, and long-term prosperity.”
He added that the 20-point peace plan was discussed during the negotiations earlier in the week.
Last week, Putin ruled out any compromises and blamed the nearly four-year war on Ukraine, calling his country’s large-scale invasion self-defense. Putin also said Ukraine would be responsible if the peace talks falter.
“The issue lies entirely on the other side, the ball is entirely in the court of our so-called Western adversaries, first and foremost the leaders of the Kyiv regime and, in this case especially, their European sponsors,” Putin told reporters last Friday. “We are ready for negotiations and to settle the conflict by peaceful means.”