Zelenskyy said a leader-level meeting could take place before year’s end as negotiations with Russia advance but key issues remain unresolved.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Dec. 26 that he will meet U.S. President Donald Trump “in the near future”—possibly before year’s end—raising hope that direct leader-level talks could speed efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
In a social media post, Zelenskyy said that Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, had briefed him on the latest contacts with U.S. officials and that preparations were underway for a meeting with Trump before the end of the year.
“We are not losing a single day. We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level—with President Trump in the near future,” Zelenskyy wrote. “A lot can be decided before the New Year.”
Zelenskyy’s confirmation followed his Christmas Eve appeal for a direct meeting with the U.S. president to address what he has described as the most sensitive and unresolved issues in a potential peace agreement with Moscow—chief among them territorial control and security guarantees.
The Ukrainian leader said those questions could only be settled at the leaders’ level after Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators finalized a political framework for ending the conflict. That framework has been narrowed to 20 points from an earlier 28-point draft that Kyiv and its European allies criticized as overly favorable to Russia.
Talks Intensify as Year Ends
Zelenskyy said the revised draft was hammered out during talks in Florida over the weekend between Ukrainian delegates and a U.S. team led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
“This is a document referred to as a framework—a foundational document on ending the war, a political document between us, America, Europe, and the Russians,” Zelenskyy told journalists during a Dec. 23 briefing, during which he outlined the latest 20-point peace plan.
“We are ready for a meeting with the United States at the leaders’ level to address sensitive issues. Matters such as territorial questions must be discussed at the leaders’ level.”
On Dec. 25, Zelenskyy said he spoke for nearly an hour with Witkoff and Kushner, calling it a “truly good conversation” that helped establish timing and formats for pushing the peace process forward.
“We have some new ideas in terms of formats, meetings, and, of course, timing on how to bring a real peace closer,” he said, adding that more talks between Umerov and the U.S. team were expected later in the day.
“Some documents are already prepared. … Of course, there is still work to be done on sensitive issues. But together with the American team, we understand how to put all of this in place. The weeks ahead may also be intensive.”
Zelenskyy also said he would be speaking with European leaders about the plan to ensure unity around the plan.
“Real security, real recovery, and real peace—this is what must be achieved,” he said.
By Tom Ozimek
