Trump and Zelenskyy to hold talks amid heavy Russian airstrikes on Ukraine | Ukraine

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet on Sunday to discuss a plan to end the war in Ukraine, amid ongoing Russian attacks on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities and doubts that Moscow is willing to give up any of its maximalist demands.

Zelenskyy arrived in Florida with a Ukrainian delegation on Saturday night before meeting the US president at his home in Mar-a-Lago. The two leaders are expected to discuss the latest iteration of the 20-point peace plan and the unresolved question of the future of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.

Vladimir Putin demanded that Ukraine hand over the lands in the north of the Donetsk region that his forces could not capture. Zelenskyy’s counterproposal envisions a demilitarized zone in which both sides withdraw from the line of contact. The plan could first be put to a referendum if Moscow agrees to a ceasefire that will last 60 to 90 days.

But fundamental problems remain, including security guarantees that will prevent Russia from attacking again. Trump has not made any military commitments to defend Ukraine. The original 28-point US plan was presented following talks with Russia in November and essentially called for Ukraine’s surrender.

Speaking alongside Canadian prime minister Mark Carney on Saturday, Zelenskyy described Putin’s latest large-scale airstrike on Kiev as “Russia’s response to our peace efforts.” The Ukrainian president told Carney: “We need two things: pressure on Russia and sufficiently strong support for Ukraine.” The Ukrainian capital was hit by more than 500 drones and ballistic missiles on Friday night and Saturday. Two people died and half a million people were left without electricity in the 12-hour attack. Carney described the bombing as “barbaric”. He said a “voluntary Russia” was needed to create the conditions for a just and lasting peace.

Sunday’s talks are a high-stakes moment for Zelenskyy, and the possibility of a diplomatic disaster is not far off. In a recent interview with the Guardian, the Ukrainian leader said he was “not afraid” of the mercurial US president because both had a democratic mandate.

In February, Trump and US vice president J.D. Vance berated Zelenskyy during a harrowing session at the White House. Subsequent meetings went better, including at the Vatican in April and at the White House in October, where Zelenskyy was flanked by European leaders including Keir Starmer.

Ukrainian officials have worked hard to repair relations with the Russia-leaning White House, while coordinating closely with their European allies. Zelenskyy spoke to European leaders on Saturday and said he expected them to join talks with Trump on Sunday via a videoconference link from Mar-a-Lago.

The Ukrainian delegation includes the head of Ukraine’s national security and defense council Rustem Umerov, first deputy foreign minister Sergiy Kyslytsya and Ukraine’s new ambassador to Washington Olha Stefanishyna. From the US side, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner will attend.

Zelenskyy described the meeting with Trump as a bilateral meeting focused mostly on US-Ukraine issues. Main topics include security guarantees from the United States and Europe, the military situation and a road map for the implementation of agreements. Zelenskyy stated that 90 percent of the 20-item plan has been completed and land problems have not yet been resolved.

Russia’s defense ministry said on Sunday that its forces had captured five settlements in eastern and southern Ukraine, including Myrnohrad near the eastern city of Pokrovsk and Huliaipole in the Zaporizhzhia region. The announcement, made ahead of the Florida talks, appeared designed to send the message to Trump that Russia’s victory in Donbas was inevitable.

Russian forces are advancing, but they are also facing setbacks. In recent weeks, Ukrainian defense forces have regained control of most of the city of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region after small groups of Russian infantry infiltrated the city. Ukraine rejected Moscow’s latest allegations and said its defense was valid.

The military said a midnight drone strike hit the Syzran oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region. It was stated that the damage is still being assessed. Ukrainian national police said three civilians were injured following Russian drone and missile attacks in the Kharkiv region.

There was little expectation that Trump-Zelenskyy talks on Sunday would result in a meaningful agreement. One Interview with Politico last week, Trump said he expected a “good” meeting but did not approve of Zelenskyy’s latest proposals. “You have nothing until I approve it,” Trump said. “Then we’ll see what you’ve got.”

Observers expect the full-scale war, which has been going on for nearly four years, to continue as Trump does not want to put pressure on Russia. “The fundamental flaw in the current diplomatic move is that the aggressor is not at the negotiating table,” said Yuriy Boyechko, founder of the charity Hope for Ukraine.

He added: “Peace cannot be achieved by one side reaching an agreement with a third party; this requires the main combatant, Vladimir Putin, to commit to a ceasefire and withdraw. As long as Russia actively launches its heaviest attacks in months, it is signaling that it has no intention of honoring an agreement it has not signed.”