Trump asserts Zelensky has nothing on Russia ‘until I approve it’ prior to Mar-a-Lago meeting
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has made a striking declaration regarding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of their planned weekend meeting at Mar‑a‑Lago on Sunday, December 28.
Zelensky will meet with Trump as part of efforts to address the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The discussions are expected to focus on reaching a peace deal to end Russia’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine.
Trump will see what Zelensky's got
In an exclusive interview with Politico, Trump stated that, regardless of what Zelensky proposes during their meeting, the Ukrainian president "doesn’t have anything until I approve it, 'So we’ll see what he’s got.'"
Zelensky has been developing a new 20‑point peace plan to outline potential terms for ending the war, which is a variation of the 28-point plan drafted in November by Trump’s negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
He told reporters that his new 20-point plan intends that "Russia would have to withdraw its forces from a corresponding stretch of land in Donetsk."
Ukrainian officials have described the plan as "an attempt to show flexibility without conceding territory."
Trump seemed optimistic about the meeting with Zelensky, saying, "I think it’s going to go good with him. I think it’s going to go good with [Vladimir] Putin," and added that he’ll speak with Russia’s leader "soon, as much as I want."
Zelensky said he recently had a "good conversation" about the peace deal with Witkoff and Kushner.
Trump optimistic on Ukraine-Russia peace deal
Trump told The New York Post that he’s optimistic about finally securing a peace deal with Zelensky, saying, "Well, I think we have a good shot at it" during a Friday afternoon phone call.
"I think they want to do it now, and I think that Russia wants to do it. But every time one wants to do it, the other doesn’t," Trump said.
Drawing on his experience in international negotiations, Trump highlighted, "I settled eight wars, and this is the most difficult of them all. But I think we’ll get it done."
The report noted that Russia has given no indication it is willing to accept anything short of full control over the region, highlighting the significant gap that remains between the two sides.
But Trump noted that the economic strain on Russia might be enough to move the needle, saying, "Their economy is in tough shape, very tough shape."
The latest counter-proposal from Kyiv calls for a demilitarized "free economic zone" and has so far been met with silence from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin's top demand remains that Ukraine relinquish the heavily fortified northern part of the Donetsk region.
Trump has campaigned on his promise to broker a deal and end the war, frequently calling himself "the peace president."
