Zelenskyy and Trump to Meet in Florida: A Decisive Gambit for Ukraine's Peace

A handshake in Florida could decide the fate of a continent. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy heads to meet Donald Trump as the clock ticks down on 2025.

New Year Deadline: The High-Stakes Florida Summit

President Zelenskyy will meet his U.S. counterpart this Sunday, December 28, in Florida. It's a meeting that could be decisive as Washington intensifies efforts to broker an end to Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II. "A lot can be decided before the New Year," Zelenskyy stated, signaling the urgency of the talks.

Territorial Tug-of-War and the Economic Zone Proposal

The status of the Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant remains the most contentious issue. While Moscow demands that Kyiv withdraw from parts of the Donetsk region, Ukraine has rejected these demands, calling for a halt to hostilities along existing lines. To break the deadlock, the US has floated the idea of a free economic zone for contested areas. Zelenskyy emphasized that any final land concessions would require a national referendum.

Mixed Signals and Escalation on the Ground

Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted the US is the only mediator capable of reaching both sides, yet he also distanced Washington by calling it a "war on another continent." Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov accused Ukraine of trying to "torpedo" the peace talks. He insisted any agreement must stay within the parameters set during the August summit between Trump and Putin, a framework previously criticized by European partners as too conciliatory to Russia.