Zelenskyy to meet Trump in Florida amid diplomatic push to end war

Ukrainian president highlights ‘significant progress’ successful talks, but Moscow says Kyiv is moving to ‘torpedo’ deal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to conscionable with his United States counterpart, Donald Trump, successful Florida connected Sunday to sermon territorial disputes that proceed to artifact advancement towards ending Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine.

Announcing the gathering connected Friday, Zelenskyy said the talks could beryllium decisive arsenic Washington intensifies its efforts to broker an extremity to Europe’s deadliest struggle since World War II. “A batch tin beryllium decided earlier the New Year,” Zelenskyy said.

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Territory remains the astir contentious contented successful the negotiations. Zelenskyy confirmed helium would rise the presumption of eastbound Ukraine and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has been nether Russian power since the aboriginal months of Russia’s invasion.

“As for the delicate issues, we volition sermon some Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. We volition surely sermon different issues arsenic well,” helium told reporters successful a WhatsApp chat.

Moscow has demanded that Kyiv retreat from parts of the Donetsk portion inactive nether Ukrainian power arsenic it pushes for afloat authorization implicit the wider Donbas area, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk. Ukraine has rejected that demand, alternatively calling for an contiguous halt to hostilities on the existing beforehand lines.

Territorial concessions

In an effort to span the divide, the US has floated the thought of establishing a escaped economical portion should Ukraine relinquish power of the contested country though details of however specified a program would run stay unclear.

Zelenskyy reiterated that immoderate territorial concessions would necessitate nationalist approval. He said decisions connected onshore indispensable beryllium made by Ukrainians themselves, perchance done a referendum.

Beyond territory, Zelenskyy said his gathering with Trump would absorption connected refining draught agreements, including economical arrangements and information guarantees. He said a information pact with Washington was astir finalised portion a 20-point bid model was adjacent to completion.

Ukraine has sought binding guarantees aft erstwhile planetary commitments failed to forestall Russia’s invasion, which began successful February 2022.

Trump has antecedently voiced impatience with the gait of negotiations, but helium has indicated helium would prosecute straight if talks reached a meaningful stage.

Last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his state is the lone mediator that tin talk to some sides to unafraid a bid agreement. At the aforesaid time, helium downplayed the value of the struggle for Washington.

“It’s not our war. It’s a warfare connected different continent,” helium said.

Zelenskyy said European leaders could articulation Sunday’s discussions remotely and confirmed helium had already briefed Finnish President Alexander Stubb connected what helium described arsenic “significant progress”.

Despite Zelenskyy’s assertion, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov accused Ukraine of moving to “torpedo” the bid talks, saying a revised mentation of the US bid program promoted by Kyiv was “radically different” from an earlier mentation negotiated with Washington.

“Our quality to marque the last propulsion and scope an statement volition beryllium connected our ain enactment and the governmental volition of the different party,” helium said during a tv interrogation connected Friday.

Ryabkov said immoderate statement indispensable stay wrong the parameters acceptable retired betwixt Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a acme successful August, which Ukraine and European partners person criticised arsenic overly conciliatory towards Russia’s warfare aims.

On the ground, Moscow has intensified strikes connected Ukraine’s vigor infrastructure and the confederate larboard metropolis of Odesa portion an onslaught connected Kharkiv connected Friday killed 2 people.