Trump and Zelensky slated to meet on Sunday at Mar‑a‑Lago to fast‑track a peace plan
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are expected to sit down at Mar‑a‑Lago this weekend, a meeting that could shape the next steps toward ending Russia’s invasion. Axios reported that the talks are set for Sunday after Zelensky posted on X that a “meeting at the highest level” would take place “in the near future.” He added that “a lot can be decided before the New Year,” hinting at the meeting’s timing.
The White House has not yet confirmed the details or the exact date. The conversation comes just a day after Zelensky said he had a “very good conversation” with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. In a tweet, the Ukrainian leader thanked the team for their “constructive approach, the intensive work, and the kind words and Christmas greetings to the Ukrainian people,” noting that “We are truly working 24/7 to bring closer the end of this brutal Russian war against Ukraine and to ensure that all documents and steps are realistic, effective, and reliable.”
Diverging demands from Moscow and Kyiv
Trump has launched a broad diplomatic effort to end hostilities, but the Russian and Ukrainian positions remain sharply opposed. Zelensky said on Tuesday that he is willing to pull back forces from Eastern Ukraine’s industrial belt, provided Moscow does the same and the area becomes a demilitarized zone under international monitoring. Russia’s Maria Zakharova announced that “slow but steady progress” was being made, yet the Kremlin has made no indication that it would give up any of the territory it has seized.
The Kremlin has even demanded that Ukraine hand over all remaining parts of the Donbas that it still controls—a demand that Kyiv has firmly rejected. Moscow currently holds roughly 70 % of Donetsk and most of Luhansk, though the front has shifted.
Recent battlefield gains and assessments
A week ago, Ukrainian forces secured a victory by pushing Russian troops out of the logistics hub of Kupyansk, an outcome that surprised Moscow, which had announced the city’s capture just two weeks earlier. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted that pro‑Russian online commentators are calling out false claims about their advances in Kupyansk. ISW’s assessment concluded that Russia lacks the manpower or equipment to occupy the rest of Donetsk while keeping pressure elsewhere, a shortfall that Moscow’s bargaining position hinges on as it pushes for Ukraine to cede unoccupied zones.
Ongoing attacks on infrastructure
Over the weekend, Russian drones struck the Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv, leaving parts of the city without power overnight. Ukraine reports it struck Russia’s Novoshakhtinsk refinery in the Rostov region using British‑supplied Storm Shadow missiles. The Ukrainian General Staff posted on Telegram that “multiple explosions were recorded.” Rostov Governor Yuri Slyusar said a firefighter was wounded while fighting the blaze. These long‑range strikes aim to keep Moscow from profiting from oil exports, thereby limiting its funding for the war.
Russia, meanwhile, has vowed to cripple the Ukrainian power grid to deny civilians heat, light and clean water—a strategy commentators describe as an attempt to “weaponize winter.”
With Post wires
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