KYIV, UKRAINE – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced plans Friday for an imminent summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, signaling that critical decisions on ending the war with Russia could emerge before year’s end amid intensifying diplomatic maneuvers.
The revelation came on social media platform X after Zelenskiy met Thursday with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. “We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level, with President Trump in the near future. A lot can be decided before the New Year,” Zelenskiy posted, emphasizing that sensitive matters like territorial compromises must be hashed out directly between heads of state.
Kyiv has long pushed for such face-to-face engagement as Washington ramps up efforts to broker peace. Zelenskiy noted progress in negotiations: some documents in a broader framework for conflict resolution and Ukraine’s reconstruction are “nearly ready,” while others stand “fully prepared.”Earlier this week, he introduced a 20-point draft peace plan as the cornerstone for cessation of hostilities.
The proposal includes robust security guarantees against future Russian incursions but sidesteps Moscow’s demands for territorial concessions. Control of the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remains a sticking point for further deliberation, with no U.S.-Ukraine consensus yet on ceding land. These developments highlight a narrowing window for diplomacy as global stakeholders eye potential breakthroughs in the protracted conflict.