Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump, and their delegations at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, December 28, 2025

EA on RTE: What’s Next for Ukraine After Zelensky-Trump Meeting in Florida

EA-War on Politics 24 VideoCast: Can Ukraine and Europe Break Putin’s Invasion?

Sunday’s Coverage: Zelensky to Meet Trump in Florida

UPDATE 1734 GMT:

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have had a “positive” phone call, said White Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Putin pushed the claim that Ukraine tried to attack his residence. He said he still wants to work with the US on a deal to end Russia’s invasion but the attack has forced a revision of the Kremlin’s position.

At his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump supported the Kremlin’s line:

I don’t like it. It’s not good. I heard about it this morning … President Putin told me about it….He said he was attacked, it’s no good…..

It’s one thing to be offensive, because they’re offensive. It’s another thing to attack his house. It’s not the right time to do any of that….I was very angry about it.

The reality TV star added:

UPDATE 1728 GMT:

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has called out the Kremlin’s “lie” that Kyiv tried to attack Vladimir Putin’s residence in the Novgorod region, south of St. Petersburg.

Zelensky said the Russian claim is an attempt to undermine progress in negotiations to end Moscow’s invasion. He noted that the Russians could be preparing the ground to strike government buildings in Kyiv.

Everyone needs to be alert now, absolutely everyone. A strike on the capital may be carried out, especially since this person [Putin]…said they will choose corresponding targets.

Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha added:

UPDATE 1435 GMT:

In a lengthy post on social media, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky sets out the status of proposals after his Sunday meeting with Donald Trump in Florida.

Zelensky begins with the necessity of reparations from Moscow, calling on the European Union to release frozen Russian assets.

We will receive the first €100 billion over the next two years, in equal tranches. If there is no war, we will spend this money on rebuilding our state. If we have to defend ourselves, we will have the money to pay for that defense.

He makes clear that Kyiv will not give into Russian “fantasies” of seizing all of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine: “We have our own land, our own territorial integrity, our own state, and our own interests.”

The President noted that the final proposals must be approved by Ukrainian citizens in a referendum.

The next steps will be a meeting in coming days of Ukrainian, European, and American national security advisors in Ukraine. A meeting of Ukrainian, European, and international leaders — the “Coalition of the Willing” — will follow to finalize the proposals, preparing for a meeting with Trump.

“After that, if everything proceeds step by step, there will then be a meeting in one format or another with the Russians,” Zelensky explains.

There is no alternative to peace. Together with the Americans, we share single position: the war must be ended through diplomacy, and Russia must be pressed into it – otherwise the war will continue. Certainly, if the war continues, the Americans, together with the Europeans, will continue to support Ukraine, because we are defending ourselves in this war, we are fighting, and we are not the aggressor.

UPDATE 1334 GMT:

Two unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war were executed by Russian troops on Saturday in the Donetsk region in the east of the country, says Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office.

The case is the third this month of captured Ukrainian soldiers being killed.

In the latest episode, Russian soldiers forced one of the POWs to partially undress before he was slain.

Ukrainian officials documented the execution of at least 322 POWs as of October 2025. International human rights organizations have reported torture, abuse, and inhumane treatment of troops held in Russian captivity. As of September 2025, more than 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers remain imprisoned in Russia.

UPDATE 1036 GMT:

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s reaction on Sunday when Donald Trump said, “Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed.”

UPDATE 0907 GMT:

In a WhatsApp chat with journalists, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken about the issue of security guarantees for Kyiv against a future Russian invasion.

Zelensky said Donald Trump supports a guarantee lasting 15 years, but Kyiv and European partners are seeking up to 50 years.

The President said the Ukraine-Europe proposal of a demilitarized economic zone in the Donetsk region, with a pullback of both Ukrainian and Russian forces, was discussed. There was no resolution with Trump, but the proposal is still “on the table”.

Zelensky said the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporhizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest with six reactors, is also unresolved. A Kremlin-US ultimatum had demanded that control be split between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv, while the Ukraine-Europe proposal maintains Ukrainian ownership.

He expressed hope for a meeting of Ukrainian, European, and American officials in the “coming days” in Kyiv.

UPDATE 0709 GMT:

Christopher Miller of the Financial Times gets to the point after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with Donald Trump in Florida.

Look, cutting through it all, an end to Russia’s war is still a long way off. There are no agreements on security guarantees, no western partner of Ukraine ready and willing right now to pledge anything strong enough to deter Russia.

And Trump, who continued today to heap praise on Putin and initiated a call with him before meeting Zelensky, is unwilling to do the tough work that is necessary to press Russia to negotiate an end to its invasion in earnest. Trump wants an end to the war and he doesn’t care how it happens.

Putin has been very clear he wants to continue fighting. Ukraine, understandably, is unwilling to surrender and be subjugated to Moscow.

So, where does this leave us? Far from peace and with a lot of work still to do.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin’s top financial advisor Kirill Dmitriev is playing to Trump’s ego on social media.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Meeting Donald Trump in Florida, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has maintained the line against Russia’s invasion, even as Trump praised Vladimir Putin.

Zelensky discussed Ukraine-Europe proposals over security guarantees, territory, reconstruction, and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. He posted after the “wonderful meeting” and press conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort:

We had a meaningful discussion on all issues and highly appreciate the progress made by the Ukrainian and American teams over the past few weeks.

We discussed all aspects of the peace framework and achieved significant results. We also discussed the sequence of further actions.

We agree that security guarantees are key to achieving lasting peace, and our teams will continue to work on all aspects.

He said the Ukrainian and US teams will meet next week to “finalize all discussed issues”, with Trump hosting Ukrainian and European leaders at the White House in January.

At the press conference, Trump hailed “good progress” but he tipped off his unwillingness to give Ukraine a firm assurance against Russian demands for more territory, particularly the rest of the Donetsk region in the east.

The reality TV star said “one or two thorny issues remain”, notably the “unresolved” matter of territory.

In a few weeks we will know one way or the other.

We could have something where one item that you’re not thinking about is a big item, breaks it up. Look, it’s been a very difficult negotiation.

He said he believed Russia’s demands could be resolved but did not indicate how.

Zelensky made clear that Ukraine would not give up Donetsk or any other area. He said any proposal must be confirmed by a referendum among Ukrainian citizens.

We have to respect our law and our people and the territory which we control….

Our society has to choose…because it’s their land….It’s the land of our nation, for a lot of generations.

Trump’s Praise of Putin

Just before Trump saw Zelensky, the Kremlin tried to manipulate the American with a 75-minute call from Vladimir Putin.

The effort appeared to succeed: Although Trump did not press Moscow’s demands, he gushed over Vladimir Putin at the press conference.

Even as Russia carried out more intense missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure, Trump proclaimed, “They’re going to be helping. Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed.”

He claimed Putin, who is demanding control of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in southern Ukraine, is “working with Ukraine on getting it open. He’s been very good in that sense. He wants to see that open.”

Bizarrely, given Russian troops seized the complex in March 2022, Trump’s evidence was that Putin “hasn’t hit it with missiles”.

Even more curious was Trump’s assurance:

Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed. It sounds a little strange but President Putin was very generous in his feeling toward Ukraine succeeding, including supplying energy, electricity and other things at very low prices.

Trump continued, with his fixation on coverage of Russian influence operations and his Presidential campaign in 2016:

I saw a very interesting President Putin today. I mean, he wants to see it happen. He wants to see it. He told me very strongly. I believe him.

Don’t forget, we went through the Russia Russia Russia hoax together and he’d call me, I’d call him, I’d say “Can you believe the stuff they’re making up?’ It turned out we were right. They made it all up.”

A Ukrainian activist summarized:

Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, citing a call with Zelensky and Trump, maintained support of Kyiv and the Ukraine-Europe proposals.

Declaring that “we are making progress on the security guarantees that will be central to building a just and lasting peace”, French President Emmanuel Macron said Paris will host a meeting of Ukraine and its international partners in early January “to finalize each country’s concrete contributions”.