Mr. Trump and Zelenskyy are meeting Sunday in Florida, as negotiators aim to make significant progress in ending Russia’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president told reporters Friday the two leaders would be discussing security guarantees for Ukraine. Zelenskyy said the draft 20-point peace plan is “about 90% ready” and said “a lot can be decided before the New Year,” as the U.S., Ukraine and European allies seek an end to the war.
“In my view, the agreement between us and the United States is almost ready,” Zelenskyy said.
But Mr. Trump was cautious when asked about the plan in an interview with Politico Friday.
“He doesn’t have anything until I approve it,” Mr. Trump said of Zelenskyy. “So we’ll see what he’s got.”
Mr. Trump has been spending the Christmas holiday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.
Zelenskyy, who first announced the meeting, said Thursday that he had a “good conversation” with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law.
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev also met with U.S. envoys in Florida last weekend.
A draft 20-point plan, agreed on by U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators, is under review by the Kremlin, although Moscow has shown no willingness to compromise on its territorial demands.
Zelenskyy conceded earlier this week he would be willing to withdraw Ukrainian troops from Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland, if Russia pulls back and allows the area to become a demilitarized zone with international forces monitoring it.
But Moscow has also not indicated it’s willing to withdraw troops and has demanded that Ukraine relinquish the remaining territory it holds in the eastern Donbas region. Ukraine has flatly rejected this idea.
“I think we’re making some progress on that front,” Mr. Trump said of peace in Ukraine in a phone interview with WABC New York talk show “Sid & Friends in the Morning.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in December Mr. Trump is “extremely frustrated with both sides of this war.”
Mr. Trump and Zelenskyy last met in person on Oct. 17, at the White House. The two men haven’t had an easy relationship. Their first face-to-face meeting in February, during Mr. Trump’s second term, became contentious, with Vice President JD Vance accusing Zelenskyy of not saying “thank you,” Mr. Trump telling Zelenskyy he didn’t “have the cards right now,” and the Ukrainian team leaving the White House early.
