Trump and Zelensky to meet in Florida for talks on ending Ukraine war

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky are set to meet in Florida on Sunday for face-to-face talks on ending the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian president Mr Zelensky said security guarantees and territorial issues in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions would be among the topics of discussion.

Mr Zelensky stopped in Canada to meet prime minister Mark Carney on Saturday before heading to the US.

He told reporters he would aim to ensure there were “as few unresolved issues as possible” in talks with his US counterpart Mr Trump, while respecting Ukraine’s red lines.

Mr Zelensky has said the draft peace plan includes a US commitment to provide guarantees mirroring the Nato alliance’s Article 5, which means an attack on Ukraine would trigger a collective military response from the US and its allies.

But key details are still to be worked out, with territorial concessions the most sensitive of the issues the two leaders will discuss.

A day ahead of the talks, Russia attacked Kyiv with missiles and drones, killing at least one person in an attack Mr Zelensky said “really shows that (Russian president Vladimir) Putin doesn’t want peace”.

The talks in Florida are the latest stage in Mr Trump’s year-long effort to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine, having previously said he would end the war on the first day of his term in office.

On Christmas Eve, Mr Zelensky said the US and Ukraine had reached a consensus on a number of critical issues, and indicated he was open to creating a demilitarised zone on his country’s eastern border with Russia.

But he has continued to resist Russian demands that Ukraine give up two of its eastern regions, Luhansk and Donetsk.

Russia is also likely to object to a role for Nato forces in monitoring a ceasefire, which European leaders including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron have said must form part of any deal.

Other European demands include allowing Ukraine to maintain a peacetime military of 800,000 troops and to join the EU, while the US has reportedly offered unspecified security guarantees.

Mr Zelensky has said a peace plan is “about 90% ready” and that he hopes to discuss an “economic agreement” and “territorial issues” with Mr Trump.

He said he hoped European leaders could also be involved in talks either on Sunday or at a future date.

Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said on Saturday he would speak with the leaders of Ukraine, Germany, France, the UK, Italy and the EU ahead on the chances for peace ahead of the Florida talks.

Sir Keir stressed his support for Ukraine in a call with French and German leaders on Friday.

A Downing Street spokesperson said the leaders “reiterated their unshakeable commitment for a just and lasting peace for Ukraine and the importance that talks continue to progress towards this in the coming days”.