US President Donald Trump said that his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy “does not have anything" unless he approves it, ahead of a meeting between the two in Florida on Sunday as part of the ongoing efforts to end the nearly four-year war with Russia.
Zelenskyy is expected to meet with Trump on Sunday and told reporters that he is bringing a new 20-point plan for peace, which includes a proposed demilitarised zone and the meeting is expected to focus on US security guarantees.
However, Trump made it clear that he is in no rush to accept Zelenskyy’s proposal. “He doesn’t have anything until I approve it. So we’ll see what he’s got," he told Politico.
These remarks highlight how much Ukraine’s future depends on persuading Trump, who has at times seemed willing to tilt toward Russia in pursuit of ending the war. While Russia has moved very little from its position, the US has pushed Zelenskyy to move off his original demands.
Sunday’s meeting to discuss new peace proposals comes amidst Trump’s intensified efforts to broker an agreement on Europe’s worst conflict since World War II, which has killed tens of thousands since February 2022. Speaking to reporters, Zelenskyy said that though he could not confirm whether the meeting would lead to a firm agreement, the two sides would aim to “finalise as much as we can".
Trump also said he could have a productive meeting with Zelenskyy, and hoped to have a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon. “I think it’s going to go good with him. I think it’s going to go good with [Vladimir] Putin," he said.
These remarks came after Zelenskyy spoke with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law. Zelenskyy called that a “good conversation."
Zelenskyy’s 20-point plan
The new plan formulated with Ukraine’s input is Kyiv’s most explicit acknowledgement yet of possible territorial concessions, and is very different to an initial 28-point proposal tabled by the US last month that adhered to many of Russia’s core demands.
The Ukrainian President saying that the 20-point peace plan hammered out by Ukrainian and US officials is “90% ready" and that he planned to discuss with Trump how Ukraine’s allies could guarantee its security in the future, CNN reported.
Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov accused Zelenskyy of attempting to “torpedo" the US-brokered deal and any deal had to “remain within the limits" fixed by Trump and Putin.
“Our ability to make the final push and reach an agreement will depend on our own work and the political will of the other party," he said on local TV. “Especially in a context where Kyiv and its sponsors — notably within the European Union, who are not in favour of an agreement — have stepped up efforts to torpedo it."
Source: ANI