Territory remains sticking point as Trump, Zelenskyy discuss how to end Russia-Ukraine war
CBC
As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump are about to meet in Florida to forge a plan to end the war in Ukraine, the two leaders face differences over major issues, including territory, as Russian air raids pile pressure on Kyiv.
Russia hit the capital and other parts of war-torn Ukraine with hundreds of missiles and drones on Saturday, knocking out power and heat in parts of the city. Zelenskyy called it Russia's response to the U.S.-brokered peace efforts.
Zelenskyy has told journalists that he plans to discuss the fate of eastern Ukraine's contested Donbas region during the meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Fla., as well as the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and other topics.
The Ukrainian president and his delegation arrived in Florida late on Saturday, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister, Sergiy Kyslytsya, said on social media platform X.
"Good evening, Florida!" Kyslytsya wrote, accompanying the post with a photo of an aircraft bearing the U.S. president’s surname on the fuselage.
Moscow has repeatedly insisted that Ukraine yield all of the Donbas, even areas still under Kyiv's control, and Russian officials have objected to other parts of the latest proposal — sparking doubts about whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would accept whatever Sunday's talks might produce.
Putin said on Saturday that Moscow would continue waging its war if Kyiv did not seek a quick peace. Russia has steadily advanced on the battlefield in recent weeks and months, claiming control over several more settlements on Sunday.
The Ukrainian president told Axios on Friday that he still hopes to soften a U.S. proposal for Ukrainian forces to withdraw completely from the Donbas. Failing that, Zelenskyy said the entire 20-point plan, the result of weeks of negotiations, should be put to a referendum vote.
The American news website said U.S. officials viewed Zelenskyy's willingness to hold a referendum as a major step forward and a sign that he was no longer ruling out territorial concessions — although he said Russia would need to agree to a 60-day ceasefire to allow Ukraine to prepare for and hold such a vote.
A recent poll suggests that Ukrainian voters may also reject the plan.
Kyiv residents interviewed by Reuters on Sunday expressed a mix of hope and skepticism over the talks.
"I want for this to be over — but this is what our side wishes for," said Stanyslav, a 44-year-old soldier who declined to provide his last name. "We don't have any leverage in this situation."
Zelenskyy's in-person meeting with Trump, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, follows weeks of diplomatic efforts. European allies, while at times cut out of the loop, have stepped up efforts to sketch out the contours of a post-war security guarantee for Kyiv that would be supported by the United States.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has often figured in those allied efforts, and on Saturday, before a meeting in Halifax with Zelenskyy, he announced an additional $2.5 billion of economic aid for Ukraine.
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