United States President Donald Trump said he held a “very productive” phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, ahead of high-level talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, as diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine enter a critical phase.
The call came shortly before Zelenskyy arrived in Florida for talks with Trump, marking the latest push by the U.S. president to broker a deal aimed at ending nearly four years of conflict following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
“I just had a good and very productive telephone call with President Putin of Russia prior to my meeting, at 1:00 PM today, with President Zelenskyy,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
Speaking briefly after greeting Zelenskyy ahead of their meeting, Trump struck an optimistic tone about the prospects for an agreement. “I do believe that we have the makings of a deal that is good for Ukraine, good for everybody,” he said.
Trump added that he planned to speak with Putin again following the conclusion of his talks with the Ukrainian leader.
Zelenskyy, who arrived in Florida early Sunday, has said discussions would focus on economic and security agreements, as well as unresolved territorial disputes that remain among the most contentious issues in negotiations with Moscow.
While the Ukrainian president has indicated that a 20-point peace proposal is around 90% complete, major uncertainties remain over whether any final deal would be acceptable to the Kremlin.
Key obstacles include the status of the Donbas region, where Russia has demanded Ukraine cede territory, U.S. security guarantees for Kyiv, and the future of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
Moscow has claimed recent advances on the battlefield and has insisted that Ukraine relinquish all of the Donbas, including areas still under Kyiv’s control.
The diplomatic push comes against a backdrop of renewed violence. On Saturday, Russia launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, knocking out power and heating infrastructure in parts of the capital, according to Reuters.
Zelenskyy described the strikes as Russia’s response to U.S.-brokered peace efforts.
Under the proposal under discussion, Ukraine would hold a vote on ceding disputed territory to Russia, alongside the creation of a demilitarised “free economic zone” in Donetsk, a major city in the Donbas region.
Zelenskyy said ongoing Russian attacks on energy infrastructure reinforced the need to maintain pressure on Moscow through sanctions and continued military support.
“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 in a post on social media platform X.
“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.”
Earlier on Sunday, a Kremlin official suggested that Moscow and Washington shared opposition to a temporary ceasefire during talks and said Ukraine would need to make a “bold decision” on the Donbas for the war to end.
Trump said his meeting with Zelenskyy would take place in the main dining room at Mar-a-Lago, with media present.
The talks follow a tense encounter earlier this year, when discussions between the two leaders over potential mineral deals reportedly descended into a public dispute, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance accusing Zelenskyy of being “disrespectful” to the U.S. president.
