Donald Trump is all set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday for another round of peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Over the past few days, both countries have been in constant discussion with US officials who are serving as mediators.
Zelensky has already announced that he will be discussing a 20-point plan with Trump to put an end to the war. He is also hopeful of a swift resolution to the conflict before the end of the year, after he meets Trump in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, on December 28, 2025.
However, the US President has now given a statement that might put Zelensky’s plan in jeopardy. In an interview with Politico, the President said, “He doesn’t have anything until I approve it. So we’ll see what he’s got.”
Trump to POLITICO:
I think it’s going to go good with Zelensky. I think it’s going to go good with Putin. pic.twitter.com/yuhYcgmrIL
— OMNIS (@project_omnis) December 27, 2025
Hence, despite Zelensky’s optimism, Trump will be the one calling the shots on the peace agreement. However, the POTUS also believes that his meeting with the Ukrainian leader will turn out to be fruitful. He said, “I think it’s going to go good with him.”
During the conversation, Trump revealed that he also plans to have a word with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the near future, which could further fast-track the peace negotiations.
Earlier on Thursday, Zelensky had a call with Trump’s advisors Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are working out a plan to end the war. After the conversation, Zelensky told the media that he is in touch with the US officials for a realistic resolution.
He stated, “We are truly working 24/7 to bring closer the end of this brutal Russian war against Ukraine and to ensure that all documents and steps are realistic, effective, and reliable. I hope that today’s Christmas understandings and the ideas we discussed will prove useful.”
Meanwhile, Witkoff and Kushner also had a call with Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, to discuss Russia’s thoughts on the peace agreement. A day later, Zelensky announced that his 20-point peace plan was 90% complete.
He proclaimed, “Our task is to make sure everything is 100% ready. 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.”
On the eve of Zelensky’s meeting with Trump to “finalize” the “peace plan,” putin launched a massive drone and missile attack targeting primarily Kyiv’s civilian and energy infrastructure.
Because he clearly wants peace. pic.twitter.com/cH7dwigmrB
— Olga Klymenko (@OlgaK2013) December 27, 2025
However, despite the efforts for peace talks, innocent people continue to lose lives in the war that has been going on since February 2022. On Saturday, Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and missiles. Earlier, on December 23, the Kremlin launched an attack on Kyiv that killed three people.
As the two countries prepare for negotiations, territorial dispute remains a point of contention. Ukraine has proposed to demilitarize the conflict region in Donbas and declare it a free economic zone.
However, Russia maintains that it needs control over the entire Donbas region for the war to end. The two nations also disagree over the ownership of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is proving to be another hindrance in the negotiations.
