LIVE VIDEO Donald Trump is now talking with Volodymyr Zelensky in Florida: “We have the necessary ingredients for a peace agreement” / Before the meeting, the US leader spoke on the phone with Vladimir Putin / The Kremlin asks Kiev for “a courageous political decision” regarding Donbas
The meeting now taking place at Mar-a-Lago between Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Donald Trump aims to iron out discrepancies in the initial 28-point peace plan proposed by Trump last month and later revised by Ukraine to 20 points, according to CNN and the New York Times.
Who's taking part in the talks now at Mar-a-Lago
Several advisers and cabinet secretaries are in the Mar-a-Lago dining room as Trump meets with Zelenski. They include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Susie Wiles, the president's chief of staff, and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Also present are Steve Witkoff, the president's special envoy for peace, and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, according to the New York Times.
Among the Ukrainian officials accompanying Zelensky to the meeting with Trump is Economy Minister Oleksii Sobolev. His presence suggests the talks will focus in part on Ukraine's post-war recovery, which Trump says could bring enormous economic benefits. “There is enormous wealth to be exploited,” Trump noted.
Zelenskiy says he hopes talks will bring peace 'as soon as possible'
The Ukrainian president thanked Trump for his hospitality and told reporters that he hoped the negotiations would “bring peace as quickly as possible.”
Asked why he wanted to come to Florida to meet with Trump, Zelenskiy said that the negotiating teams have been working on a 20-point plan and that today's meeting is aimed at discussing strategies for implementing the plan.
He was asked if he thought there would be territorial concessions, but said he had no say, saying the issue would be discussed today.
Donald Trump, press statements before the meeting
Donald Trump has now welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky to his Mar-a-Lago residence. “I think we're going to have a very good meeting today,” Trump said.
Trump also added that he believes “we have the ingredients for a deal that is good for Ukraine and good for everybody.”
President Trump, answering questions from reporters, said he had no deadline for a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine and that he believed both the Russian and Ukrainian presidents “wanted to reach an agreement.” Zelensky did not react to this statement.
“We don't have deadlines. My deadline is to end the war,” the US president said.
Trump also said he would call Putin after the meeting “and we will continue negotiations.”
Before entering his Mar-a-Lago villa, Trump told reporters that the war will either “end” or “go on for a long time,” with many more casualties.
“It's either going to end or it's going to go on for a long time, and millions of people are going to die. And nobody wants that,” Trump said.
The Trump-Zelensky meeting starts shortly
US President Donald Trump is to receive Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky at his residence in Florida. The meeting was scheduled to start at 13.00 local time (no 20.00 in Romania), but the schedule was postponed.
Russia calls on Ukraine to make a “courageous political decision” on Donbas
Meanwhile, the Kremlin confirmed the telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. The Kremlin has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump do not support European and Ukrainian efforts for a temporary truce before an agreement is reached, and that Moscow believes Kiev must make a decision on Donbas, Reuters reports.
Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said the phone call between Putin and Trump lasted an hour and 15 minutes and took place at Trump's request.
“The main thing is that the presidents of Russia and the United States have similar views, namely that the option of a temporary truce proposed by Ukrainians and Europeans under the pretext of preparing a referendum or under other pretexts only prolongs the conflict and is fraught with risks of a resumption of hostilities,” Ushakov said.
He added that Kiev must take “a courageous and responsible political decision” regarding the Donbas region. “Given the situation on the front line, Kiev must take this decision without delay,” Ushakov said.
Telephone conversation Trump – Putin
The US president announced that he had a “very good and productive” telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin. The conversation took place shortly before Trump hosted Volodymyr Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago.
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The US President's special envoys have been working hard lately to finalize a proposal acceptable to both Ukraine and Russia.
Trump, who has been at his Florida residence since Dec. 20, will interrupt his vacation for the discussion. The meeting was arranged after Zelenskiy had an hour-long phone call late last week with Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, regarding the peace deal.
The deal that can end the war: All 20 points of the plan on the table today between Trump and Zelenskiy
The advanced stage of negotiations on the agreement
Trump said earlier this month that he did not think meetings with Zelenskiy or his European allies were useful unless they were close to a deal. Today's meeting is interpreted by the American press as a sign of the advanced stage of the negotiations.
US officials described significant progress in peace efforts. One of them said earlier this month that 90 percent of the terms of the deal had been set. Zelensky confirmed this figure on Friday.
“It is not easy. Nobody is saying it will be 100% immediately, but nevertheless we have to get closer to the desired result with each such meeting, with each such conversation,” he said.
Cessation of some territories, the major issue of the negotiations
The remaining 10 percent have proven difficult to resolve and include the thorny issue of territorial concessions that will be needed to end the nearly four-year-old war, CNN notes. Russia has not given up on its maximalist demands, including that Ukraine cede the entire eastern Donbas region.
Although he initially refused any concessions, Zelenski is now not completely ruling them out and says he will put the peace plan to a referendum if Russia agrees to a truce. The Constitution of Ukraine stipulates that any change to the country's borders must be approved by a referendum.
The US side has offered “provocative” ideas on how to resolve the standoff, a US official told CNN, including the development of a “free economic zone” in eastern Ukraine.
Zelensky announces Ukraine's “red lines” ahead of crucial meeting with Donald Trump. “We will not legally recognize anything, under any circumstances”
Zaporozhye nuclear power plant
Another point of divergence is the fate of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. Kiev is proposing that the plant be operated by a joint venture between the US and Ukraine, with 50% of the electricity output going to Ukraine and the rest being allocated to the US.
Russia will not be represented at Sunday's meeting, and it remains unclear whether Moscow is willing to accept an immediate ceasefire that would allow a peace plan to be implemented. Trump has frequently pointed to both Ukraine and Russia as obstacles to peace.
A day before the meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that “if Kiev is not willing to resolve the issue peacefully, Russia will fulfill all the objectives of the special military operation by military means,” using a euphemism for the war in Ukraine, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Meanwhile, hostilities continue. Russia launched 519 drones and 40 missiles over Ukraine overnight Friday into Saturday, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Zelenski charged on Saturday morning that while Russian officials are holding talks to end the fighting, the ongoing violence speaks for itself.
