Trump says Russia-Ukraine peace has 'good shot,' New York Post reports
U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes there is a "good shot" at reaching peace between Russia and Ukraine during President Volodymyr Zelensky’s upcoming visit to Florida.
"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 told the New York Post in a Dec. 26 phone call.
Trump made the remarks ahead of a meeting with Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Dec. 28. Zelensky will present a new 20-point peace proposal, a revised version of a 28-point plan drafted in November by Trump’s negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The latest proposal from Kyiv reportedly includes a demilitarized "free economic zone" and has so far been met with silence from Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose top demand has been Ukraine relinquishing control over the remaining fortified areas of Donetsk Oblast.
Trump also told Politico in a separate interview that he has not yet endorsed Zelensky’s plan. "He doesn’t have anything until I approve it. So we’ll see what he’s got," Trump said.
Trump has alternated between optimism and frustration over the course of the negotiations, at times suggesting he was close to abandoning the process. He previously left an August meeting with Putin in Alaska believing peace was within reach, after the Russian leader signaled openness to international peacekeepers from countries such as France and the U.K.
That momentum later stalled after Putin declined to participate in a bilateral summit with Zelensky, which Trump had requested.
Zelensky confirmed on Dec. 26 that he will meet Trump on Dec. 28 as part of ongoing efforts to end Russia’s nearly four-year full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"We are not losing a single day. We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level — with President Trump in the near future," Zelensky wrote on X on Dec. 26, following an update from Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s top envoy to U.S.-led peace talks and head of the National Defense and Security Council. "A lot can be decided before the New Year," he said.
Zelensky said the talks will focus on security guarantees, economic cooperation, and unresolved issues including Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
He added that the 20-point peace plan is 90% complete and described the meeting with Trump as an opportunity to finalize it.
"It is not easy, and no one is saying that it will be 100% ready right away. Nevertheless, we must use every meeting and every conversation to bring us closer to the desired result," Zelensky said.
Zelensky said he was not currently weighing whether Russia would accept the proposal, saying Moscow repeatedly avoids committing to any agreement.
"Ukraine shows its position, it is constructive. And if Russia does not agree, it means that the pressure is not enough. I also want to talk about this with the president of the United States," Zelensky said.
Zelensky also said Ukraine could hold elections or a referendum during wartime if adequate security conditions are ensured: "The partners have enough power to force Russia to provide adequate safety for holding presidential elections in Ukraine or conducting a referendum."
"It is fair that the fate of Ukraine is decided by the Ukrainian people," Zelensky added.
