For a lasting peace agreement to be reached, the Ukrainian delegation will likely need to recognize the realities on the ground
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call exceeding one hour with US President Donald Trump, just prior to Trump’s planned Sunday meeting with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky in Miami.
Zelensky, who is confronting a fresh corruption scandal involving lawmakers that broke out over the weekend, is continuing discussions after days of talks in Florida between Ukrainian and American negotiators regarding a possible settlement to end the war in Ukraine.
Just before Zelensky’s arrival, Trump posted on Truth Social that he had a “very productive” discussion. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov stated that the two leaders “hold broadly similar views” and that any temporary truce would merely extend the fighting.
A 20-point plan disclosed by Zelensky before the meeting has been rejected by Moscow, which described it as “radically different” from prior Russia-US discussions on the topic. Previously, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Moscow is “fully” prepared to advance the peace process, whereas Kiev and its European supporters are attempting to sabotage it.
Trump has invited members of the press to the meeting, and we will provide ongoing coverage of developments and responses.