The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has once again chosen to use an acid tone against the Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky, on the eve of a meeting scheduled for this Sunday (12/28) in Florida. In an interview with the Politico website, published this Friday (12/26), Trump said that the Ukrainian leader “has nothing until I approve it”, referring to the negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
“He doesn’t have anything until I approve it. So we’ll see what he has to say,” he said.
Despite the statement, the US president said he believed the meeting could be productive. “I think everything will be fine for him. I think everything will be fine for (Vladimir) Putin,” he said, adding that he hoped to speak “soon” with the Russian president.
The meeting between the Republican and Zelensky comes in a context of progress in diplomatic negotiations led by Washington and kyiv, but remains surrounded by uncertainties, particularly on territorial issues, considered the main obstacle to a possible peace agreement.
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The territory at the center of the negotiations
Zelensky said he intended to discuss sensitive issues directly with Trump, such as possible territorial concessions, which Moscow is demanding as a condition for ending the conflict. The Ukrainian president has already declared that this type of decision can only be taken at the level of heads of state.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Zelensky said the meeting might not result in a final deal, but said both sides would try to “finalize as much as possible.” Previously, he expressed optimism, writing that “many things can be decided before the new year.”
According to the Ukrainian leader, a 20-point peace plan, developed jointly by Ukrainian and American authorities, is “90% ready”. The document provides security guarantees for Ukraine to prevent further Russian aggression, as well as mechanisms to rebuild the country after the war.
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Impasse and international articulation
North American and European officials say European leaders should not attend Sunday’s meeting. Ukraine’s allies are nevertheless closely following the meeting.
In preparation for the meeting, Zelensky said he spoke with NATO leaders, as well as representatives from Canada, Germany, Finland, Denmark and Estonia, to align their positions.
Among the points still without consensus are the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, under Russian control since the start of the war, and the design of possible demilitarized zones along the front line, particularly in the Donetsk region.
Russia has already indicated that it will not accept a deal that does not meet its key demands, such as control of Donbass and formal guarantees that Ukraine will not join NATO. The Kremlin confirmed it was analyzing the latest version of the plan and preparing a response to the United States.
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