President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are scheduled to meet Sunday afternoon in Florida, as both leaders seek momentum toward a potential peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
“A lot can be decided before the New Year,” Zelenskyy wrote Friday in a post on X.
The meeting is set for 3 p.m. in Palm Beach, according to the White House, and comes just over a day after Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone attack on Kyiv. At least one person was killed and more than 20 others were injured, according to the city’s mayor. Zelenskyy said Saturday that the assault included nearly 500 drones and 40 missiles targeting the capital.
Following a meeting Saturday with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney en route to Florida, Zelenskyy said stronger international pressure must be applied to Russia in response to the attacks.
“Russia continues to mock our cities and people,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “Moscow has rejected even proposals for a Christmas ceasefire and is increasing the ferocity of its missile and drone strikes. This is a clear signal of how they really feel about diplomacy.”
He added that Ukraine requires greater support and that “sufficient pressure needs to be put on Russia.”
In a WhatsApp exchange with journalists on Friday, Zelenskyy outlined his priorities for the talks, saying discussions would focus heavily on security guarantees he hopes the United States can provide to deter future Russian aggression.
“We want to discuss several nuances regarding security guarantees,” Zelenskyy said, noting that multiple draft agreements already exist between Ukraine, the United States, and European allies. “We still need to discuss them again. Changes are being made daily by our negotiating teams.”
Zelenskyy emphasized Saturday that progress on such guarantees ultimately depends on Trump’s position.
“This primarily depends on President Trump,” he said. “The question is what security guarantees President Trump is ready to provide to Ukraine.”
A Ukrainian official familiar with the meeting’s planning told NBC News that Kyiv is also prepared to discuss economic recovery and postwar reconstruction. The official said a joint news conference following the talks is being considered, not to announce a finalized agreement but to outline the results of the discussions.
Zelenskyy also told journalists that a 20-point peace plan under development is “90% ready.”
Trump, speaking to Politico on Friday, said Zelenskyy “doesn’t have anything until I approve it, so we’ll see what he’s got.”
The meeting comes weeks after Trump said on Truth Social that he would be open to meeting with Zelenskyy or Russian President Vladimir Putin only once a deal to end the war is final or nearing completion.
