Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump this weekend, signaling what could be a pivotal moment in renewed efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The meeting is expected to take place Sunday at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, according to multiple reports.
Zelensky confirmed the plans in a post on X, emphasizing urgency and optimism following what he described as a “truly good conversation” on Christmas Day with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
“We are not losing a single day,” Zelensky wrote Friday. “We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level – with President Trump in the near future. A lot can be decided before the New Year.” He concluded the post with a patriotic message: “Glory to Ukraine!”
The upcoming meeting comes as Zelensky has publicly signaled flexibility in pursuit of peace. Earlier this week, he said Ukraine would be open to a mutual withdrawal of troops, provided Russian forces also pull back and agree to the establishment of a demilitarized zone overseen by international monitors, according to the Associated Press. That proposal marks a notable development as Kyiv explores ways to de-escalate a conflict that has dragged on for nearly four years.
Russia, for its part, has offered cautious rhetoric but little in the way of concrete concessions. Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, said Thursday there is “slow but steady progress” toward peace. At the same time, Moscow has not indicated any willingness to retreat from territory it has seized during the war, underscoring the challenges facing negotiators.
The planned Trump-Zelensky meeting is unfolding against the backdrop of a renewed diplomatic push by the Trump administration. Trump has repeatedly said he intends to bring the war to an end, once famously declaring during the campaign that he would stop the conflict on his first day back in office. He later said that remark was made “in jest,” but his administration has nonetheless moved quickly to reengage with both sides.
Zelensky’s Christmas Day conversation with Witkoff and Kushner appears to have laid the groundwork for the Mar-a-Lago meeting. According to Zelensky, the hour-long discussion produced fresh thinking on how to move forward.
“We have some new ideas in terms of formats, meetings, and of course, timing on how to bring a real peace closer,” Zelensky said, offering a glimpse into the seriousness of the talks without revealing specific details.
The Russia-Ukraine war will reach its four-year anniversary in February, a grim milestone that has heightened pressure on all sides to find a way out of the stalemate. Trump’s supporters have long argued that his approach to foreign policy — centered on direct talks, leverage, and deal-making — gives him a unique ability to break deadlocks that previous administrations could not.
For Zelensky, the meeting represents an opportunity to engage directly with a U.S. president who has made ending the war a priority and who is clearly willing to challenge diplomatic orthodoxy. For Trump, it is another chance to demonstrate his belief that strong leadership and face-to-face negotiations can succeed where endless conflict has failed.
As the year draws to a close, both leaders are signaling that momentum is building. Whether the Mar-a-Lago meeting produces tangible results remains to be seen, but with time, lives, and resources continuing to be lost, expectations are high that something meaningful could emerge before the new year begins.
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