Trump warns Zelensky that agreement with Russia will only move forward with his approval

On the eve of receiving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at his residence in Florida, United States President Donald Trump stated that no agreement on ending the war in Ukraine will be reached without his personal approval. The statement was made this Friday (26), in an interview with the Politico portal, amid the publication of a new version of the peace plan presented by Washington and Russia’s criticism of the content of the proposal.

“He has nothing until I approve it,” said Trump, commenting on the ongoing negotiations with the Ukrainian government. The American president also stated that he hopes to speak “soon” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and expressed optimism both in relation to the meeting with Zelensky and the negotiations with Moscow.

Zelensky is expected to travel to Mar-a-Lago, where Trump spends Christmas and New Year, for a meeting scheduled for Sunday (28). The meeting takes place just days after Kiev formally received the new plan from the United States, which envisages freezing the front line of the conflict, but does not present an immediate solution to the territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia.

The revised proposal abandons two central Kremlin demands that had previously been discussed with Washington: the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donbass region and a formal and legally binding commitment that Ukraine will not join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The change provoked a reaction from the Russian government, which accused Ukraine of trying to make progress in negotiations impossible.

Russia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Serguei Riabkov, stated that the plan presented by Kiev “radically differs” from what was being discussed with the United States and criticized the lack of a clear definition of the disputed territories. “It will be impossible to reach a definitive agreement without resolving the underlying issues of the crisis,” declared Riabkov.

Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine withdraw its troops from Donbass and commit not to join NATO, conditions that continue to be rejected by the Ukrainian government. Faced with this impasse, the meeting between Trump and Zelensky is seen as decisive to assess whether there will be political space for progress or whether negotiations will remain blocked due to the lack of consensus on borders and security guarantees.