‘90% Ready’: Trump and Zelenskyy Meeting Sunday at Mar-a-Lago to Further Peace Effort
Al Perrotta /
President Donald Trump will meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Sunday at Mar-a-Lago, in a bid to reach agreement on a peace plan to end the Ukraine-Russia war, Zelenskyy confirmed Friday morning.
“This meeting is specifically for the purpose of finalizing everything as much as we can,” Zelenskyy told reporters
Axios appears to have first reported the meeting Friday morning, citing Ukrainian officials. The White House has not yet commented.
Zelenskyy said earlier Friday morning on X following a briefing from his top negotiator, Defensive Minister Rustem Umerov: “We are not losing a single day. 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.”
The Ukrainian president told reporters the two leaders will discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and that Trump’s 20-point peace plan “is about 90% ready,” the Associated Press is reporting. On Thursday, Zelensky said he had a “good conversation” with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Russia has also been talking to U.S. representatives, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, telling reporters Friday, “It was agreed upon to continue the dialogue,” while Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharov said Thursday that there has been “slow but steady progress” in the peace talks.
Axios noted that Trump has said in the past he would not meet again with Zelenskyy unless he felt a deal was close.
Difficult issues still need to be worked out, Zelenskyy says.
“As for the sensitive issues: we will discuss both Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. We will certainly discuss other issues as well,” he told reporters in a WhatsApp chat.
Russia wants Ukraine to withdraw from the parts of the eastern Donetsk region that its troops have failed to occupy during almost four years of war, as it seeks full control of the Donbas, comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Kyiv wants fighting to be halted at current battle lines.
The U.S., seeking a compromise, proposed a free economic zone if Ukraine leaves the area. It remained unclear how that zone would function in practical terms.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s biggest, is located on the front line and controlled by Russian forces.
Reuters contributed to this story.