US President Donald Trump on Friday (December 26) asserted that any peace proposal from Ukraine would require his approval, signaling a cautious stance ahead of expected talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Speaking to Politico about Zelensky’s proposed plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, Trump said, "He doesn’t have anything until I approve it. So we’ll see what he’s got.”
Despite the skepticism, Trump expressed confidence that upcoming discussions could be productive, both with Kyiv and Moscow.
“I think it’s going to go good with him. I think it’s going to go good with [Vladimir] Putin,” Trump said, adding that he expects to speak with the Russian president “soon, as much as I want.”
And, Zelensky will present a new 20-point plan aimed at ending the nearly four-year war. The proposal includes the creation of a demilitarised zone and discussions around US security guarantees.
Zelensky told reporters the plan is “about 90 per cent ready” and said security guarantees would be central to the talks.
An “economic agreement” will also be discussed, he said, though he could not confirm whether anything would be finalised by the end of the meeting. The Ukraine President is also expected to raise territorial issues.
Trump’s comments came a day after Zelensky said he had a “good conversation” with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Friday that Moscow has been in contact with US representatives following meetings in Florida between Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev and US officials.
“It was agreed upon to continue the dialogue,” Peskov said.
Zelensky said Ukraine would like Europe to be involved in the negotiations, though he expressed doubts about whether that could happen at short notice.
“We must, without doubt, find some format in the near future in which not only Ukraine and the US are present, but Europe is represented as well,” he said.
While Zelensky has said Ukraine would consider withdrawing troops from parts of its eastern industrial heartland if Russia does the same — turning the area into an internationally monitored demilitarised zone — Moscow has given no indication it will agree.
Russia continues to demand that Ukraine relinquish remaining territory in the Donbas, an ultimatum Kyiv has rejected. Moscow controls most of Luhansk and around 70 per cent of Donetsk.