WASHINGTON, December 27 (ANI): U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated that he expects to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon, ahead of his anticipated meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida on Sunday, as international efforts to end the four-year-long war continue.
Speaking in an interview with Politico on Friday, Trump expressed confidence about his prospective engagement with the Russian leader, saying he is eager to speak with Putin in the near future.
“I think it’s going to go good with him. I think it’s going to go good with Vladimir Putin,” Trump told Politico, adding that he expects to speak with Putin “soon, as much as I want.”
The remarks came after Zelenskyy confirmed his meeting with the U.S. president, who is acting as a mediator in the peace talks aimed at ending the war, in Florida on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Zelenskyy said the meeting could help move discussions closer to a settlement, though he cautioned that no final agreement should be expected immediately, CNN reported.
He said both sides would focus on resolving as many outstanding issues as possible.
Zelenskyy also said a 20-point peace plan proposed by U.S. and Ukrainian officials is 90 percent ready and that talks with Trump would focus on long-term security guarantees for Ukraine and the role of its allies in ensuring stability after the war, according to CNN.
However, during the interview, Trump said any peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia would require his approval.
“He doesn’t have anything until I approve it,” Trump said. “So we’ll see what he’s got,” he added.
The last time Trump and Putin spoke was in October during a phone call that the White House described as “very good and productive” and lasting more than two hours.
During the conversation, Putin congratulated Trump on the ceasefire reached in Gaza.
“It was a very good and productive call. It lasted for over two hours. Various issues were discussed, and President Putin congratulated President Trump for solving issues between Israel and Gaza and bringing peace back to the Middle East,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, adding that Trump felt significant progress had been made.
Earlier this month, Putin’s top adviser, Yury Ushakov, held nearly five hours of talks with U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on efforts to advance peace negotiations over Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Kyiv came under a large-scale missile and drone attack overnight on December 27, with multiple explosions reported across the Ukrainian capital and surrounding regions, a day ahead of the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting.
According to the Kyiv Independent, citing monitoring sources, the capital was hit by a large-scale ballistic missile assault as Russia fired multiple Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, four Iskander ballistic missiles, and several Kalibr cruise missiles at the city.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the attack in a post on Telegram, urging residents to remain in shelters.
“Explosions in the capital. Air defense forces are working. Stay in shelters!” Klitschko wrote.
About The Author
