Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday that he will meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida over the weekend, a development that could shape the next steps in the diplomatic effort to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
## Meeting Details
Zelenskyy told reporters that the two leaders will discuss security guarantees for Ukraine during Sunday’s talks, and that the 20-point plan under discussion “is about 90% ready.” He added that an “economic agreement” would also be on the table, but he could not confirm whether anything would be finalized by the end.
## Key Topics
– Security guarantees for Ukraine
– Near-complete 20-point plan
– Economic agreement
– Territorial issues
– European involvement
Zelenskyy said Ukraine would like the Europeans to be involved, but doubted whether it would be possible at short notice. He emphasized the need for a format in which “not only Ukraine and the U.S. are present, but Europe is represented as well.”
## Diplomatic Context
The meeting follows Zelenskyy’s statement on Thursday that he had a “good conversation” with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that the Kremlin had already been in contact with U.S. representatives since Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev met with U.S. envoys in Florida. “It was agreed upon to continue the dialogue,” Peskov said.
## Russia’s Position
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday that there had been “slow but steady progress” in the peace talks, but Moscow has given no indication that it will agree to any withdrawal from land it has seized. Moscow insists that Ukraine relinquish the remaining territory it still holds in the Donbas, an ultimatum that Ukraine has rejected. Russia has captured most of Luhansk and about 70% of Donetsk.
## Recent Skirmishes
On the ground, a guided aerial bomb hit a house in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, killing one person and wounding three others. A missile strike on the city of Uman left six people wounded, local officials said Friday. Russian drone attacks on the city of Mykolaiv and its suburbs overnight into Friday left part of the city without power, while energy and port infrastructure were damaged by drones in the city of Odesa on the Black Sea.
## Ukraine’s Counterattacks
Ukraine said that it struck a major Russian oil refinery on Thursday using U.K.-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. The Ukrainian General Staff said its forces hit the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Russia’s Rostov region. “Multiple explosions were recorded. The target was hit,” it wrote on Telegram. Rostov regional Gov. Yuri Slyusar said that a firefighter was wounded when extinguishing the fire.
Ukraine’s long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries aim to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue its full-scale invasion. Russia wants to cripple Ukraine’s power grid, seeking to deny civilians access to heat, light and running water in what Ukrainian officials say is an attempt to “weaponize winter.”
## Key Takeaways
– Zelenskyy will meet Trump in Florida to discuss security guarantees, a near-complete 20-point plan, and an economic agreement.
– Russia has captured most of Luhansk and about 70% of Donetsk, and demands Ukraine relinquish remaining Donbas territory.
– Ukraine has struck the Novoshakhtinsk refinery, recording multiple explosions and a firefighter wound.
The meeting represents the latest step in the U.S.-led diplomatic push to end the nearly four-year Russia-Ukraine war, amid sharply conflicting demands from Moscow and Kyiv.
