Trump Meets Zelenskyy, Says Ukraine Peace Talks Enter "Final Stage"

U.S. President Trump met with visiting Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Sunday, December 28. Trump said during the meeting that diplomatic efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine have entered the "final stage," and he stated that Russian President Putin and Zelenskyy "both genuinely want to end hostilities." Earlier, Trump had disclosed via the social media platform Truth Social that he had a "very productive" call with Putin that day, and he said he would speak with Putin again after meeting with Zelenskyy.

According to AFP, Trump said on Sunday that if a peace plan to end the war is reached, Ukraine would receive "strong security guarantees."

During his meeting with Zelenskyy at the Mar-a-Lago estate and discussing the peace plan, Trump said: "There will be security guarantees, and they will be strong. European countries are highly involved in this." Trump also emphasized that he had not set a specific deadline for the negotiations. He said, "I don't have a deadline. Do you know what my deadline is? It's ending this war."

This was the first meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy since October of this year. At that time, Zelenskyy had sought U.S. support for "Tomahawk" missiles during his visit to the U.S., but it was unsuccessful. This time, Zelenskyy's main goal was to secure Trump's explicit support and recognition of the new version of the U.S.-proposed Ukrainian peace plan.

Zelenskyy released the revised version of the plan this week. Previously, Kyiv had requested modifications to the original plan after difficult negotiations, believing the initial text was too close to Russia's position.

The new version proposes freezing the front lines near the current control lines without immediately addressing Russia's territorial claims. Currently, Russia controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory. The plan also abandoned two key demands from the Kremlin: first, the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donbas region; and second, a legally binding commitment from Ukraine not to join NATO.

Russia Calls Europe "Obstacle to Peace"

On Saturday, Zelenskyy received clear support from Ottawa, European countries, and NATO during his visit to Halifax, Canada. On Sunday, after Trump met with Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago, both sides planned to hold a phone call with European leaders.

Meanwhile, the battlefield situation remains tense. On Saturday, Russia launched a fierce air attack on Kyiv and its surrounding areas, causing over 100,000 households to lose power temporarily. Russia also announced the recapture of two towns in eastern Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that for Russia, "Europe and the EU have become the main obstacle to achieving peace." He stated that Russia believes Trump has become an important channel for conveying some of Russia's positions.

After Putin spoke with Trump, Kremlin foreign affairs advisor Ushakov said that the two sides "share the same views," and that the temporary ceasefire proposal put forward by Ukraine and Europe "would only prolong the conflict and lead to renewed fighting." He also called on Ukraine to make "bold decisions" and withdraw its forces from Donbas to "end the war."

Security Guarantees Become Key Issue

Trump's stance remains unclear on whether to further pressure Moscow. Ukraine has continuously urged the U.S. to increase pressure, while Trump has repeatedly expressed frustration over the prolonged negotiations.

White House spokesperson Levitt said on December 11 that Trump was "extremely frustrated with both sides." On December 19, Trump publicly urged Ukraine to "take action."

In addition to the future prospects of the Donbas region and the southern Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant occupied by Russian forces, both sides are expected to discuss security guarantees that Western countries could provide under a potential peace agreement framework.

Zelenskyy emphasized on Saturday that "security guarantees must be in place at the same time as the end of the war." Trump said on Sunday at the entrance of Mar-a-Lago: "There will be security guarantees, and they will be strong. European countries are highly committed to this."

However, Trump had previously hinted that Ukraine might need to accept a frozen frontline to deal with what he considered an "inevitable" further advance by Russia. Trump said on December 8, "Russia has the advantage, and always has."

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1852792567724036/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.