Trump and Zelenskyy meeting in Florida to talk Ukraine peace plan

Zelenskyy arrived at Mar-a-Lago for the meeting shortly before 1:30 p.m. Mr. Trump greeted the Ukrainian president and the pair shook hands, flanked by an American and Ukrainian flag. 

Asked whether he thinks Putin is serious about peace, Mr. Trump told reporters "I do."

"I think he is. I think they both are," Mr. Trump added.

Mr. Trump said his message to Putin earlier in the day was, "got to make a deal."

"Got to get it done. Too many people dying," the president said. "And I think both presidents want to make a deal."

Mr. Trump said "I do believe we have the makings of a deal that's good for Ukraine, good for everybody." He added that "we're going to have a great meeting today" and said he planned to call Putin back after the meeting with Zelenskyy to "continue a negotiation."

Mr. Trump said on Truth Social that he spoke with Putin ahead of his meeting with Zelenskyy Sunday. 

"I just had a good and very productive telephone call with President Putin of Russia prior to my meeting, at 1:00 P.M. today, with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine," Mr. Trump said, noting that the meeting with Ukraine's president is set to take place in Mar-a-Lago's main dining room. 

Zelenskyy urged Ukraine's partners in a post on X Sunday morning to keep up their support after Russia attacked Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv a day earlier, noting that these "are some of the most active diplomatic days of the year right now, and a lot can be decided before the New Year."

"We are doing everything toward this, but whether decisions will be made depends on our partners – those who help Ukraine, and those who put pressure on Russia so that Russians feel the consequences of their own aggression," Zelenskyy said. 

The Ukrainian president said this week, Russia "launched over 2,100 attack drones, around 800 guided aerial bombs, and 94 missiles of various types."

While crews and first responders are working "literally 24/7 to protect lives and restore power supply," Zelenskyy said it's "just as important that sanctions against Russia work, that all forms of political pressure for its aggression are applied, that Ukraine receives air defense missiles, and that we all finalize the formats of steps that will end this war and guarantee security."

"These are exactly the steps we will be discussing with our partners today," Zelenskyy said.  

The post comes after Zelenskyy met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and held a call with European world leaders in Canada on Saturday. The Ukrainian president said the leaders discussed progress on the diplomatic front a day ahead of his meeting with Mr. Trump. 

"We went over the most important priorities together. Ukraine values all of the support," Zelenskyy said in a post on X. "Tomorrow, after the meeting with President Trump, we will continue our discussion."

Ukraine was a source of consternation for the president long before he took office in January. A Democratic-controlled House impeached him in December 2019 over withholding military aid to Ukraine and a 2019 call with Zelenskyy in which he urged the Ukrainian leader to investigate Joe Biden, who was then a potential 2020 rival for the presidency. 

The Democrat-led House impeached Mr. Trump for abusing his power and obstructing Congress. The first charge related to his dealings regarding Ukraine, over withholding U.S. military aid from Ukraine unless Zelenskyy announced investigations that would benefit Mr. Trump's 2020 reelection campaign. The second article of impeachment accused Mr. Trump of blocking evidence and witnesses subpoenaed by Congress in its impeachment inquiry.

The Senate voted to acquit Mr. Trump on the charges in February 2020. 

Mr. Trump has periodically voiced frustration that the war in Ukraine continues, after he predicted on the campaign trail that he'd resolve it before he even took office in January. In the last few months, the president has acknowledged that bringing the war to an end has been more challenging than he expected. 

The president told WABC he thought the Russia-Ukraine war "would've been an easy one because I do get along well with him," referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "But [it] has not turned out to be the easiest, it's turned out to be the toughest." 

Mr. Trump and Zelenskyy are meeting Sunday in Florida, as negotiators aim to make significant progress in ending Russia's nearly four-year war in Ukraine. 

The Ukrainian president told reporters Friday the two leaders would be discussing security guarantees for Ukraine. Zelenskyy said the draft 20-point peace plan is "about 90% ready" and said "a lot can be decided before the New Year," as the U.S., Ukraine and European allies seek an end to the war. 

"In my view, the agreement between us and the United States is almost ready," Zelenskyy said.

But Mr. Trump was cautious when asked about the plan in an interview with Politico Friday. 

"He doesn't have anything until I approve it," Mr. Trump said of Zelenskyy. "So we'll see what he's got."

Mr. Trump has been spending the Christmas holiday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. 

Zelenskyy, who first announced the meeting, said Thursday that he had a "good conversation" with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump's son-in-law. 

Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev also met with U.S. envoys in Florida last weekend. 

A draft 20-point plan, agreed on by U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators, is under review by the Kremlin, although Moscow has shown no willingness to compromise on its territorial demands.  

Zelenskyy conceded earlier this week he would be willing to withdraw Ukrainian troops from Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland, if Russia pulls back and allows the area to become a demilitarized zone with international forces monitoring it. 

But Moscow has also not indicated it's willing to withdraw troops and has demanded that Ukraine relinquish the remaining territory it holds in the eastern Donbas region. Ukraine has flatly rejected this idea. 

"I think we're making some progress on that front," Mr. Trump said of peace in Ukraine in a phone interview with WABC New York talk show "Sid & Friends in the Morning."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in December Mr. Trump is "extremely frustrated with both sides of this war." 

Mr. Trump and Zelenskyy last met in person on Oct. 17, at the White House. The two men haven't had an easy relationship. Their first face-to-face meeting in February, during Mr. Trump's second term, became contentious, with Vice President JD Vance accusing Zelenskyy of not saying "thank you," Mr. Trump telling Zelenskyy he didn't "have the cards right now," and the Ukrainian team leaving the White House early.