As Ukrainian president prepares for high-stakes Mar-a-Lago summit, Trump signals final say on any war settlement and expresses optimism for future talks with Putin.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
PALM BEACH, Fla.—President Donald Trump delivered a blunt assessment of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s latest 20-point peace plan, declaring that any agreement hinges solely on his approval ahead of their pivotal meeting at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday.
“He doesn’t have anything until I approve it,” Trump told Politico, underscoring his central role in shaping the terms of any potential settlement to the nearly four-year war between Ukraine and Russia. “We’ll see what he’s got,” Trump added, striking a tone of cautious optimism about the upcoming negotiations.
The president also expressed confidence in his ability to broker productive discussions not only with Zelenskyy but with Russian President Vladimir Putin as well. “I think it’s going to go good with him,” Trump said of Zelenskyy, before adding, “I think it’s going to go good with Putin.” He emphasized his autonomy in engaging with the Russian leader, stating he would meet with Putin “as much as I want.”
Zelenskyy’s 20-point proposal, unveiled this week, calls for a freeze of the war along current front lines and the establishment of demilitarized buffer zones in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian troops would withdraw. The plan also demands Russia’s withdrawal from a contested area in Donetsk and addresses the management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and territorial control of Donbas, the eastern region claimed by Moscow.
The Ukrainian president recently held what he described as a “good conversation” with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior advisor Jared Kushner, signaling a potential thaw in U.S.-Ukraine relations. A senior U.S. official, speaking to Axios, characterized the discussions as “positive and constructive,” noting that more progress had been made in the past two weeks than in the previous year of stalled diplomacy.
However, Russia has already dismissed Zelenskyy’s plan, accusing Kyiv and its EU backers of attempting to “torpedo” a U.S.-brokered peace initiative. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov engaged in telephone talks with U.S. officials, while Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov criticized Zelenskyy’s approach in a Russian TV appearance.
“Our ability to make the final push and reach an agreement will depend on our own work and the political will of the other party, especially in a context where Kyiv and its sponsors—notably within the European Union, who are not in favor of an agreement—have stepped up efforts to torpedo it,” Ryabkov said. He argued that Zelenskyy’s proposal “differs radically” from the framework initially discussed by U.S. and Russian officials earlier this month.
Ryabkov insisted that any deal must “remain within the limits” set during Trump and Putin’s August meeting in Alaska, warning that “no accord can be reached” otherwise. “Without an adequate resolution of the problems at the origin of this crisis, it will be quite simply impossible to reach a definitive accord,” he added.
As the Mar-a-Lago summit approaches, the stakes could not be higher. With Trump asserting his authority over the peace process and Russia signaling resistance to Zelenskyy’s terms, the outcome of Sunday’s meeting may determine whether the war enters a new phase—or remains locked in a protracted stalemate.
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