President Trump has made clear he will be the final authority on any peace agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine war as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepares to present a 20-point proposal when the two meet Sunday in Florida. Zelenskyy says the plan is nearly finished and will aim to secure guarantees and a pathway toward ending the fighting. The meeting is being watched closely because Trump insists any deal must meet his approval before moving forward.
Trump did not mince words about his role in this process. “He doesn’t have anything until I approve it,” Trump told Politico. “So we’ll see what he’s got.” That direct stance signals a focus on control and deliverable results rather than open-ended negotiations.
Zelenskyy has framed his proposal as a concrete effort to move talks forward and said the plan is almost ready for review. “The 20-point plan that we worked on is 90% ready. Our task (is) to make sure that everything is 100% ready. It is not easy, and no one says that it will be 100% right away, but nevertheless we must bring the desired result closer with each such meeting, each such conversation,” he told reporters. The tone from Kyiv emphasizes preparation and gradual progress rather than grand promises.
The Ukrainian president indicated the meeting will focus on security guarantees for his country and suggested some topics remain open. He added it was unclear if “territorial issues will be discussed.” That caveat shows how sensitive any concessions would be and why a strong guarantor at the table matters to both sides.
Washington’s official channels were not responsive to inquiries about the meeting at the time of the reporting. The White House did not provide a comment confirming the details. That silence only raises the profile of Trump’s own public statements as the guiding signal for what might happen next.
Trump has expressed optimism about both the meeting with Zelenskyy and further talks with Russian leadership. “I think it’s going to go good with him. I think it’s going to go good with [Vladimir] Putin,” Trump told Politico, and he added that he expects to speak with Putin “soon.” That combination of confidence and direct outreach reflects a transactional approach to diplomacy that Republicans often favor.
Earlier this year Trump drew a line on doing meetings without progress and said he would not sit down with either leader unless a deal was near completion. In November he signaled he expected a final-stage agreement before committing more face time. That posture makes his approval effectively the gating factor for any proposal Zelenskyy brings.
Zelenskyy also reported private discussions that fed into the plan’s preparation and noted productive contact with American intermediaries. He said he had “a very good conversation” with Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff Thursday, focusing on ways to end the war and secure a lasting peace. Those back-channel talks are the kind of groundwork that can turn public proposals into negotiable offers when leaders meet.
Trump’s history of engagement with both Ukrainian and Russian leaders gives context to the Florida meeting. He has met Zelenskyy several times since taking office, including a tense Oval Office session in February, and he met Putin in Alaska in August. Those past encounters show this is part of an ongoing diplomatic push that Trump frames as results-oriented and under his control.
