Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Friday that he'll fly to Florida to meet with Donald Trump on Sunday. The goal is to push a U.S.-backed peace plan closer to ending Russia's nearly four-year war on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy told reporters the 20-point plan is "about 90% ready." He said the two leaders will focus on security guarantees for Ukraine, an economic agreement and "territorial issues." He also said he couldn't promise anything would be finalized.
He sounded hopeful on social media, writing that "a lot can be decided before the New Year."
Trump sounded less eager. He told Politico that Zelenskyy "doesn't have anything until I approve it. So we'll see what he's got."
What's In the 20-Point Plan
This plan grew out of Trump's original 28-point proposal from November. Critics slammed that first version as a Kremlin wish list. It would have forced Ukraine to give up land, shrink its military and abandon its hopes of joining NATO.
After weeks of talks between U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators, Zelenskyy laid out the new draft for reporters on Tuesday. Key points include:
- NATO-style protection. The U.S., NATO and European countries would give Ukraine security guarantees modeled on NATO's Article 5, the rule that treats an attack on one member as an attack on all. If Russia invades again, it would face a military response and renewed sanctions.
- A full-size army. Ukraine could keep its military at 800,000 troops in peacetime.
- A path to the EU. Ukraine would join the European Union by a set date.
- A frozen front line. Current battle lines in four eastern and southern regions would become the de facto front line, with room to negotiate troop pullbacks.
- Prisoners and civilians. Both sides would swap all prisoners of war and free detained civilians, including children and political prisoners.
- Elections. Ukraine would hold a presidential election as soon as possible after signing.
- Trump in charge of enforcement. A "Peace Council" chaired by Trump would oversee the deal, with sanctions for violations.
One important change is what's missing. The earlier plan would have waived all legal recourse for war crimes. That provision is gone from the new draft. For the families of Ukrainians killed, tortured or taken during this war, that matters.
The 20-point plan is also just one of four documents. The others are a U.S.-Ukraine-Europe security agreement, a separate U.S.-Ukraine security pact and an economic "Roadmap for Prosperity" to guide Ukraine's recovery through 2040.
The Donbas Is Still the Deal-Breaker
The toughest issue is land, specifically the Donbas, Ukraine's eastern industrial region made up of Donetsk and Luhansk. Zelenskyy called it "the most difficult point" in the talks.
Russia holds most of Luhansk and about 70% of Donetsk. Moscow wants Ukraine to hand over the rest, including cities Russia has never been able to take by force. Ukraine has refused.
Zelenskyy did offer a possible compromise. The U.S. has proposed turning part of the region into a "free economic zone."
Zelenskyy said Ukraine could pull its troops back if Russia does the same, and the area becomes a demilitarized zone watched by international forces.
He said a similar setup might work around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, and that any peace plan would have to go to Ukrainian voters in a referendum.
Putin: "Donbas Is Ours"
Russia doesn't seem to be moving much. On Friday, Reuters picked up a report from the Russian newspaper Kommersant saying that Vladimir Putin told a group of wealthy businessmen this week that he still wants all of the Donbas. According to the paper, Putin declared "Donbas is ours."
Outside the Donbas, Putin reportedly said Russia might be open to swapping some other land it has seized. That isn't much of a concession, since Russia would still keep the region it has spent years trying to conquer.
The Kremlin has also been in touch with U.S. envoys. Putin's envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, met with Trump's team in Florida last weekend, and the Kremlin says it will base its position on what he brought back.
Where's Europe?
Zelenskyy wants European leaders at the table. They've backed Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, and they'd share responsibility for keeping Ukraine safe after any deal.
He admitted it may be hard to get them there on such short notice. But he said the two countries need to find a format soon that includes Europe, not just Ukraine and the U.S.
What's at Stake Sunday
For Ukrainians, peace talks aren't abstract. Russia has kept up massive drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, even as diplomats trade drafts. People are sheltering underground and living with rolling blackouts in the middle of winter.
A deal could end that. A bad deal, one that rewards Russia for invading and leaves Ukraine exposed, could set up the next war.
Sunday's meeting won't settle everything. But it will show whether Trump is willing to stand behind the security guarantees Ukraine needs, or whether "90% ready" is as far as this goes.
