Before a meeting planned this weekend with Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of the United States, Donald Trumptold Politico this Friday (26) that the Ukrainian president “has nothing” before the approval of the American government.
“He doesn’t have anything until I approve him,” Trump said, according to the interview. “Then let’s see what he has.”
Zelensky said he would meet Trump on Sunday (28) and that “a lot can be decided before the New Year” regarding the war with Russia, Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
The Ukrainian president hopes to convince Trump to reject a US proposal that would require the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbass.
If he fails to pressure the United States to take a “tough” stance on territorial concessions, he is willing to put Washington’s 20-point peace plan to a referendum – provided Russia agrees to a 60-day ceasefire to allow Ukraine to prepare and hold the vote.
Moscow demands that Ukraine withdraw from the zones of eastern Donetsk region which Russian troops were unable to occupy during nearly four years of war, seeking to take full control of Donbasswhich includes the regions from Donetsk and Luhansk.
kyiv now defends the cessation of fighting on the current front lines. Seeking a deal, the United States proposed the creation of a free economic zone if Ukraine left the zone, but the proposal did not specify how the zone would work.
Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
Territorial issues remain an obstacle to progress in negotiations, and Zelensky said any decision regarding territory must be made by the Ukrainian people in a possible referendum. THE Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, it is located on the front line and is controlled by Russian forces.
According to Zelensky, a security guarantee agreement between Ukraine and the United States is “almost finalized” and the draft 20-point plan is already 90% complete.
European leaders could participate in online negotiations, according to Zelensky. This Friday, he said he had discussed “significant progress” in peace efforts with the Finnish president, Alexander Stubb.
Moscow has not yet indicated which peace plan proposals it would be prepared to accept. The foreign policy advisor of Vladimir PutinYuri Ushakov spoke with members of the Trump administration after Moscow received proposals from the United States on a possible peace deal, the Kremlin this Friday.
Asked how Moscow viewed the documents, Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskovsaid he did not wish to comment, believing that public statements could harm the negotiations.
THE Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that Putin told some of the country’s top businessmen that he might be willing to trade some territories controlled by Russian forces with other regions of Ukraine, but that in return he wanted all of Donbass.
Even as negotiations progressed, Russia continued to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and intensified its attacks in Ukraine’s southern region. Odessa, where the country’s main ports are located.
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