Ahead of peace talks between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the US president said he had a “very productive” conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Writing on Truth Social just hours before the high-stakes meeting at Trump’s Florida resort on Sunday, Trump wrote: “I just had a good and very productive telephone call with President Putin of Russia prior to my meeting, at 1:00 P.M. today, with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine,”
The Kremlin confirmed the call without giving details.
In his post, Trump added that his meeting with Zelenskyy would occur in the main dining room of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, with reporters watching on.
The two leaders are meeting to try to close out a peace agreement that would end nearly four years of war sparked by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said he started his morning “with a detailed phone call with UK Prime Minister”.
“We discussed preparations for the meeting with President Trump, as well as all our contacts with European partners. I informed him on the situation on the frontline and on the consequences of Russian strikes,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post shared to X.
“We greatly value the United Kingdom’s support. We will stay in contact!”
A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed the conversation. “The Prime Minister reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s unwavering support for Ukraine and its commitment to achieving a just and lasting peace,” the spokesperson said.
“They condemned Russia’s brutal and illegal invasion, as well as the recent attack on Kyiv.
“Both leaders welcomed ongoing diplomatic efforts and commended President Trump’s continued engagement in securing peace.“The Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy agreed to remain in close contact in the coming days.”
The crucial peace talk meeting comes after a barrage of Russian missiles and drones hit residential buildings and infrastructure facilities in parts of Ukraine overnight.
In a post on X, the Zelenskyy said more than 2,100 attack drones, 800 aerial bombs and dozens of missiles had been launched by Russia.
A block of flats in Odesa was targeted by drones, triggering a 150-square-metre fire, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said on Sunday morning. No one was injured in the attack.
Meanwhile, a separate drone strike started a fire at an infrastructure facility in the Sumy region on Saturday evening.
Extinguishing efforts were hampered by a second strike that hit as rescuers were working at the site, Ukrainian authorities said. The fire has now been extinguished.
In his post on X, Zelenskyy reiterated an earlier sentiment that progress can be made in the remaining days of this year.
“These are some of the most active diplomatic days of the year right now, and a lot can be decided before the New Year,” he said.
“We are doing everything toward this, but whether decisions will be made depends on our partners – those who help Ukraine, and those who put pressure on Russia so that Russians feel the consequences of their own aggression.”
Zelenskyy said the two planned to discuss security and economic agreements and he will raise “territorial issues”.
The future of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine is expected to be discussed, with Putin and Zelenskyy remaining at odds over its fate.
Zelenskyy arrived in Canada on Saturday ahead of his trip to the US, meeting Carney in Halifax, Nova Scotia, less than a day after Russian strikes on Kyiv that killed at least one person and left at least 27 others wounded.
In the days before the meeting, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine’s capital, using missiles and drones to attack Kyiv.
Responding to the strikes on Saturday, Zelenskyy said: “This attack is Russia’s answer on our peace efforts. It really shows that (President Vladimir) Putin doesn’t want peace.”
Using a euphemism for the war in Ukraine, state media service TASS quoted Putin as saying: “If Kyiv is not willing to resolve the matter peacefully, Russia will accomplish all the aims of the special military operation by military means.”
Over several weeks, Trump’s negotiators have traded draft peace plans with Zelenskyy’s aides.
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The Ukrainian leader told reporters on Friday that the 20-point draft proposal negotiators have discussed is “about 90% ready”.
During recent talks, the US agreed to offer certain security guarantees to Ukraine similar to those offered to other members of NATO.
The proposal came as Zelenskyy said he was prepared to drop his country’s bid to join the security alliance if Ukraine received NATO-like protection that would be designed to safeguard it against future Russian attacks.
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