Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Friday that he will meet United States President Donald Trump in Florida this weekend, marking a key moment in the ongoing diplomatic push to find a pathway to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Speaking to reporters, Zelenskyy said the discussion on a proposed 20-point peace framework is "about 90 per cent ready" and will be central to Sunday’s meeting.
Zelenskyy added that both sides will also take up an "economic agreement", although he could not confirm whether any deal would be finalised during this round of talks. Ukraine is also expected to raise "territorial issues" during the discussions. He stressed the need for European involvement in future negotiations and said, "We must, without doubt, find some format in the near future in which not only Ukraine and the US are present, but Europe is represented as well," as per The Associated Press (AP)
Peace push faces conflicting demands
The announcement comes as the United States intensifies efforts to secure a negotiated end to nearly four years of war. However, these attempts continue to be complicated by hardline positions from both Moscow and Kyiv. Zelenskyy noted that he had a "good conversation" with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Thursday. On the Russian side, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev recently met US representatives in Florida and said, "It was agreed upon to continue the dialogue."
Ukraine signals readiness for conditional troop pullback
Zelenskyy also said Ukraine would consider withdrawing troops from its eastern industrial heartland if Russia also retreats and the region is converted into a demilitarised zone under international supervision. However, Russia has shown no sign of accepting this proposal. Moscow continues to demand that Kyiv relinquish all remaining territory in the Donbas region, a condition Ukraine has firmly rejected. Russia already controls most of Luhansk and nearly 70 per cent of Donetsk, the two regions that make up the Donbas.
Fresh attacks reported across Ukraine
Meanwhile, the conflict on the ground continues to intensify as a guided aerial bomb strike killed one person and injured three others in the Zaporizhzhia region. Six more people were wounded in a missile attack on the city of Uman. Overnight drone assaults on Mykolaiv cut power to parts of the city, while infrastructure in the port city of Odesa also suffered damage.
Ukraine hits Russian oil refinery
Ukraine's military said it struck the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery in Russia's Rostov region using UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. The General Staff reported "multiple explosions" and confirmed that "the target was hit." Rostov Governor Yuri Slyusar said a firefighter was injured while controlling the blaze. It should be noted here that Ukraine has escalated its long-range drone and missile strategy against Russian refineries in an attempt to limit Moscow’s oil export revenues. Ukrainian officials say Russia is retaliating by attempting to disable the country’s energy infrastructure in order to "weaponise winter."
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