Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday, December 26, 2025, that he will meet President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday, December 28, to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters, Zelenskyy said a 20-point plan under negotiation is “about 90% ready,” and he signaled that Kyiv wants to move quickly, writing earlier that “a lot can be decided before the New Year.”
The announced meeting is the latest turn in a U.S.-led diplomatic effort to end the nearly four-year war following Russia’s full-scale invasion. The push has involved multiple channels, including Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner, whom Zelenskyy said he spoke with this week.
The White House has not publicly detailed the Florida agenda. Kyiv describes the talks as focused on concrete steps that can be implemented if Moscow accepts core terms.
What Kyiv Says Is on the Table
Zelenskyy has framed the talks around security guarantees that would deter further Russian attacks and stabilize the front. He said Tuesday that Ukraine would be willing to withdraw forces from parts of the eastern industrial heartland if Russia also pulled back and if the area became a demilitarized zone with international monitoring.
Kyiv’s position ties any withdrawal to verifiable steps by Moscow, a timeline for implementation, and a monitoring mechanism that would activate consequences if violations occur.
Ukrainian officials have emphasized air and missile defense, long-range strike constraints tied to verifiable pullbacks, and guarantees for critical infrastructure. They also point to humanitarian measures, including protected corridors for civilians and processes for exchanging prisoners and the remains of the dead. The 20-point plan is meant to package these strands into a single framework that outside guarantors can help oversee.
Signals From Washington and Moscow
Zelenskyy said Thursday he had a “good conversation” with Witkoff and Kushner. The outreach comes as U.S. intermediaries explore sequencing options that could reduce fighting while core issues are negotiated. Trump has pushed to convene leaders “in the near future,” and he is hosting Sunday’s session in Florida.
Moscow has acknowledged contact with U.S. representatives. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev met U.S. counterparts in Florida over the weekend and that “it was agreed upon to continue the dialogue.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said there had been “slow but steady progress,” a guarded formulation that suggests working-level talks remain active while key political questions are unresolved.
Where the Parties Still Clash
The largest gap remains territorial. Russia has not indicated it will withdraw from land it seized since 2022. In public statements, Moscow has insisted that Ukraine relinquish the remaining territory it holds in the Donbas, which Kyiv rejects.
Russia controls most of Luhansk and about 70% of Donetsk, the two regions that make up the Donbas. Ukrainian officials say those demands are nonstarters and that any plan must be grounded in sovereignty and internationally recognized borders.
Kyiv also wants enforceable guarantees, not political statements. That means clear triggers, timelines, and verification. Moscow has historically resisted third-party enforcement inside areas it controls. Bridging that difference will require detailed annexes that specify who monitors, how violations are assessed, and what automatic responses follow.
War Continues As Diplomacy Advances
The battlefield has not paused. In the days before Christmas, Russia kept up missile and drone bombardment of Ukrainian cities.
Overnight into Friday, drone attacks on Mykolaiv and nearby suburbs left part of the city without power, according to local authorities. Inside Russia, a senior general was killed Monday in a car bomb in Moscow, underscoring that the broader security environment remains volatile far from the front.
Ukraine has continued long-range strikes intended to degrade Russian logistics. On Thursday, Ukraine’s General Staff said British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles hit the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia’s Rostov region, reporting “multiple explosions” and a successful strike. Rostov Governor Yuri Slyusar said a firefighter was wounded while extinguishing the blaze. Kyiv argues that disabling refineries reduces revenue that funds Russia’s war effort.
Moscow aims to cripple Ukraine’s grid, seeking to deprive civilians of heat, light, and running water, a tactic Ukrainian officials describe as an attempt to weaponize winter.
