In an interview with Politico, US President Donald Trump said he expects a productive meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky this weekend.
“I think it's going to go well with him. I think it's going to go well with Putin“, Trump said, adding that he expects to speak with the Russian leader “as soon as I ask“.
However, Trump expressed a “cool“ reaction to the peace plan prepared by Kiev. “He (Zelensky) will have nothing until I approve it“, he said. “So we'll see what happens.“
At the same time, the US president said that the Russian economy is “in a very difficult situation“.
According to Axios, Zelensky and Trump will meet in Florida on December 28. The day before, according to the publication, they will hold a conference call with European leaders to inform everyone about the current state of negotiations.
Earlier, Zelensky announced a meeting with Trump in Florida on Sunday. According to the Ukrainian president, he will present a new 20-point peace plan developed by Kiev.
In an interview with The New York Post, Trump said that he was optimistic about finalizing a peace agreement.
“Well, I think we have a good chance of that. I think they want to do it now and I think Russia wants to do it. But every time one wants it, the other refuses“, Trump said.
“I have resolved eight wars and this is the most difficult. But I think we can handle it“, he added.
On December 24, the Ukrainian president announced the contents of a 20-point peace plan that was discussed during consultations between the American and Ukrainian sides. The document includes a non-aggression pact, security guarantees for Kiev, approval of the peacetime strength of the Ukrainian armed forces of 800,000 soldiers, holding elections in Ukraine as soon as possible, a full exchange of prisoners and the return of civilians, as well as Ukraine's membership in the European Union within a certain period.
According to Zelensky, the peace plan is 90% complete and security guarantees will be discussed at the meeting with Trump. The territorial issue remains the most difficult, the Ukrainian president stressed. He added that he was ready to put the peace plan to a referendum if Moscow agreed to a ceasefire for at least 60 days to allow for a vote.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that the initiative presented by Zelensky was fundamentally different from the version discussed by the Russian and American delegations.
On December 20-21, Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president’s special representative for investments and economic cooperation with foreign countries and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, met in Florida with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the US president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Upon his return, he presented his findings to Putin.
The Kremlin said it was analyzing materials on the 20-point peace plan. "After that, depending on the decisions made by the head of state, we will continue our communication with the Americans," added Dmitry Peskov, the Russian president's press secretary.