Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was set to hold talks with US President Donald Trump in what could be the most consequential meeting in the country's recent history, called on Kyiv's allies to help cement a peace deal.
Shortly before the December 28 meeting was slated to begin, Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a call that lasted more than an hour, according to the Kremlin, and was done at Trump's initiative. In a post to social media, Trump described the call as "good and very productive."
Zelenskyy's meeting -- his third trip to the United States this year -- is the culmination of weeks of shuttle diplomacy -- and the closest the sides have been to a potential halt in fighting since the onset of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Amid the diplomacy and negotiations, Russia has shown little inclination for compromise, even refusing to consider a Christmas truce proposed by Zelenskyy.
On the eve of the talks, being held at Trump's Florida residence, Russia pounded Ukraine's capital Kyiv, and surrounding districts, leaving nearly 1 million homes without electricity amid temperatures hovering around freezing.
And in another clear signal, Putin met with top military commanders on December 27, lauding battlefield successes, asserting Ukraine was to blame for the war.
If Kyiv does not wish “to settle the matter peacefully," Russia will achieve its objectives by force, Putin said, reiterating comments he has made several times in recent weeks.
Before his meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy appeared to voice optimism, saying in a post to social media "much can be resolved before the New Year."
"We are doing everything toward this, but whether decisions will be made depends on our partners -- those who help Ukraine, and those who put pressure on Russia so that Russians feel the consequences of their own aggression," he said.
Before traveling to Florida, Zelenskyy met in Halifax with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who offered support for Ukraine ahead of the crucial US talks, saying that Russia's "barbarism...shows just how important it is that we stand with Ukraine."
Zelenskyy also held a conference call with European leaders. After the session, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen called for "a just and lasting peace that preserves Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Zelenskyy will again hold talks with European leaders after he meets with Trump as he urged the West to take a strong stand to prevent Putin "from manipulating and evading a real and just end to the war."
Ukraine's 20-Point Peace Plan
Zelenskyy -- with Europe's backing -- has proposed a 20-point plan to end Russia's war, after earlier scrambling to counter a 28-point plan put forward by Trump last month that critics said was heavily skewed in Russia's favor.
One of the critical issues at the heart of current negotiations is the fate of the eastern Donbas region.
Most of that territory is under Russian control, and Moscow has demanded that Kyiv turn over the parts Russia does not hold. That includes two major cities -- Kramatorsk and Slovyansk -- which are linchpins for Ukrainian defenses in the area.
The other critical issue is the fate of Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant. The Zaporizhzhya region facility, which was Ukraine's largest single source of electricity, has been under Russian control since shortly after the start of the invasion.
Zelenskyy has proposed putting the plant under joint control between Ukraine and the United States, with Washington netting profits from the sale of the plant’s electricity -- including potentially to Moscow.
The Kremlin, which believes it has the upper hand both on the battlefield and in the peace negotiations, has shown little willingness to compromise on its hard-line demands -- most of which predate the invasion.
Russia Claims Towns Taken
In his meeting, Putin lauded Russian forces, and claimed capture of two additional Ukrainian towns -- Myrnohrad and Hulyaypole.
Myrnohrad, in Ukraine's Donetsk region, is close to Pokrovsk, an important logistical hub that Moscow has prioritized for nearly a year and claimed to have captured earlier this month. Hulyaypole is a frontline town in the southeastern Zaporizhzhya region.
Russian claims could not immediately be verified; Moscow has regularly claimed battlefield victories that have turned out to be premature or outright false. The Ukrainian military said it had beaten back attacks on Myrnohrad and Hulyaypole.
Trump has been pushing to end the war, which has killed or wounded more than 1.5 million men on both sides, devastated large parts of Ukraine, and made Russia a pariah state.
Another key hurdle to peace is security guarantees for Ukraine once the war ends. Without them, Kyiv fears Russia will eventually attack it once again.
Zelenskyy has indicated that security guarantees involve several documents that need to be discussed, while economic agreements are still at the "basic groundwork" stage.
US envoys attending talks in Berlin earlier this month reportedly offered NATO-style security guarantees for Kyiv thought to be along the lines of the alliance's Article 5, which states that an attack against one member of the alliance is considered an attack against all.
Blocking Ukraine from joining the military alliance has been a central position of Moscow's since before the start of the war. It's unclear if NATO-like security guarantees would be opposed by the Kremlin.
Some analysts, however, warn such a guarantee would do little to bring security to the region.
"It's not credible; It cheapens all US commitments, including to NATO; It raises the risk of war with Russia," Jennifer Kavanagh, an analyst at Defense Priorities, a Washington think tank, said in a post to X.
French President Emmanuel Macron -- one of Kyiv's key backers, along with the leaders of Britain and Germany -- called Russia's attack on Kyiv proof that Moscow wants to "prolong the war."
