A Russia attacked Kiev and other regions of Ukraine with missiles and drones this Saturday (27)before the President Volodymyr Zelensky said it will be a key meeting with US President Donald Trumpto try to close an agreement that almost ends four years of war.
Before the night attacks, he said his talks in Florida on Sunday would focus on what would remain under each side’s control after fighting that began in February 2022, when President Vladimir Putin invaded Russia’s smaller neighbor, in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.
Explosions were heard in Kiev as Ukrainian air defense units went into action, and the military reported on the Telegram app that missiles were being launched. The Air Force said Russian drones were targeting the capital and regions in the northeast and south.
An air raid warning remained in effect in the capital about four hours after it was issued. There were no immediate reports of damage or power outages.
Territory control is the main diplomatic obstacle
Russia did not immediately comment on the attacks.
On the night of last Thursday (25), Russia hit Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and intensified attacks on the southern region of Odesa, where the country’s main seaports are located.
Amid continued intense fighting, territory remains the main diplomatic obstacle. A 20-point draft of the US-led campaign to hammer out a peace plan is 90% complete, Zelensky told reporters in Kiev.
He said a security guarantees agreement between Ukraine and the United States was almost ready — a key element after guarantees given in previous post-Soviet years proved ineffective.
“A lot can be decided before the New Year,” Zelensky told Politico.
Trump said the United States is the driving force behind the process.
Trump told Politico. “Then let’s see what he’s got.”
Zelensky told Axios that the US has offered a 15-year deal on security guarantees, subject to renewal, but that Kiev wants a longer deal with legally binding provisions to protect itself against further Russian aggression.
Trump said he believes Sunday’s meeting will be positive. He also said he hopes to speak to Putin “as soon as I want.”
Nuclear power plant and free economic zone are also under discussion
In addition to the territory, a critical point is the control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest in Europe, taken by Russia in the first weeks of the war.
Moscow demands that Ukraine withdraw from areas of the eastern Donetsk region that Russian troops have failed to occupy in their offensive to secure all of Donbas, which also includes the Luhansk region.
Kiev wants fighting to stop on current lines.
Under a compromise proposed by the US, a free economic zone would be created if Ukraine leaves parts of the Donetsk region, although the details have not yet been defined.
Axios quoted Zelensky as saying that if he cannot convince the US to support Ukraine’s “strong” stance on the territorial issue, he would be willing to put the 20-point plan to a referendum — provided Russia agrees to a 60-day ceasefire to allow Ukraine to prepare and hold the vote.
He said he wants more pressure to be brought to bear on Russia.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the Ukrainian version of the 20-point plan differed from what Russia had been discussing with the US, according to the Interfax-Russia news agency.
Still, he expressed optimism by saying that negotiations had reached a “turning point” in the search for an agreement.
Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov spoke to members of the Trump administration after Moscow received proposals from the US on a possible peace deal, the Kremlin said on Friday. It was not disclosed how Moscow evaluated the documents.
