Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet US President Donald Trump on Sunday as he pushes for Washington’s endorsement of a new proposal aimed at ending the nearly four-year war with Russia.
The proposed 20-point peace framework, developed after weeks of intensive talks between Kyiv and Washington, has yet to gain Moscow’s approval. The meeting comes shortly after a large-scale Russian missile and drone strike on Kyiv, which Zelensky cited as evidence of Russia’s unwillingness to pursue peace.
The talks will take place at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida and mark the leaders’ first face-to-face meeting since October, when Trump declined Zelensky’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles.
Speaking during a stop in Canada ahead of the talks, Zelensky expressed hope that discussions would be productive, adding that Russia’s latest attack underscored President Vladimir Putin’s lack of interest in ending the conflict.
While in Canada, Zelensky also held a virtual meeting with European leaders, who reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s peace efforts. European Union officials pledged continued backing and sustained pressure on Moscow, despite Russia’s claims that Ukraine and its allies are obstructing earlier US-led peace initiatives.
Trump has so far stopped short of committing to the new plan, saying any agreement would require his approval. The proposal under discussion would freeze the conflict largely along current front lines and could involve limited Ukrainian troop withdrawals to create demilitarized buffer zones — a move that would represent Kyiv’s clearest signal yet of potential territorial compromise, though it stops short of ceding all disputed eastern regions.
Ending the war in Ukraine remains a central foreign policy goal of Trump’s second term, though he has acknowledged frustration over the lack of progress toward a ceasefire.
