Florida: The meeting came shortly after a phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Trump described as “productive” and the Kremlin characterised as “friendly.” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin warned that a 60-day ceasefire proposed by the European Union and Ukraine would only prolong the conflict, adding that Ukraine must take a decision on the disputed Donbas region “without further delay.”
Ushakov also confirmed that Russia has agreed to establish working groups focused on economic and security issues as part of efforts to resolve the conflict. Trump, speaking after the call, said negotiations were nearing a breakthrough. “I think we have the ingredients for an agreement… There is a desire on both sides. We are in the final stages of talks,” he said, adding that he would speak again with Putin following his meeting with Zelenskiy.
Zelenskiy said ahead of the Florida talks that discussions with Trump would cover the future of Donbas, the fate of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and other unresolved issues. Washington has proposed shared management of the plant, where repairs to power lines began after a separate ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
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Despite ongoing diplomacy, Russia has continued to make steady battlefield gains, announcing the capture of additional towns and villages. While Kyiv and Washington agree on many aspects of a potential settlement, a key sticking point remains territory. Moscow is demanding control of the entire Donbas region, while Kyiv is seeking to freeze borders along current front lines.
In a bid to bridge differences, the United States has floated the idea of creating a free economic zone should Ukraine withdraw from Donbas, though details on how such a zone would operate remain unclear.
Russia currently controls the Crimean Peninsula, annexed in 2014, and claims to hold roughly 12 per cent of Ukrainian territory, including most of Donbas and large parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, along with smaller areas elsewhere.
The latest proposal is based on a 20-point plan that evolved from an earlier 28-point framework discussed last year between US envoys and Russian representatives.
