Zelenskyy plans to meet Trump on Sunday – DW – 12/26/2025

Russia is increasingly using positions in Belarus for its attacks on Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

After talks with the entire military leadership on Friday, Zelenskyy wrote on Facebook that this included drone and missile attacks, which he said Moscow was using to bypass Ukraine’s defensive lines.

“This is risky for Belarus,” he wrote. “It is a pity that Belarus is surrendering its sovereignty to the benefit of Russian aggressive ambitions.”

Zelenskyy said Russia had installed strike equipment on residential buildings in Belarus, which makes it difficult for Kyiv’s military to mount a proactive defense.

“This is an absolute disregard for human life, Minsk should stop playing these games,” he added.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke with ⁠President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday ⁠and discussed the latest ‌developments in ‌ongoing ⁠peace talks, Carney’s office said in a statement.

“The Prime Minister affirmed Canada’s commitment to ‍Ukraine throughout these negotiations and ​emphasized the need to maintain pressure ⁠on ​Russia to negotiate,” the ‌statement ‌said. 

Zelenskyy is set to meet with Trump in Florida this weekend. Earlier this week, he provided details about the 20-point plan that was agreed upon by US and Ukrainian envoys in Florida last weekend.

But some unresolved issues, including the nature and scope of security guarantees for Ukraine and the fate of the territories that Russia claims, remain.

At least two people were killed and six others seriously injured after Russian guided bombs hit the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, city mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.

A busy street in the city came under attack, with one of the bombs having struck vehicles. That left people trapped in their burning cars.

Russia has pummeled Ukraine’s second-largest city with drones and bombs since the start of the war in 2022. Most strikes hit civilian targets. 

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accused Ukraine of trying to “torpedo” talks on US plans, as Kyiv and Washington work through some of the remaining differences of a 20-point peace framework.

“Our ability to make the final push and reach an agreement will depend on our own work and the political will of the other party,” Ryabkov said in comments to Russian state TV.

“Especially in a context where Kyiv and its sponsors — notably within the European Union, who are not in favour of an agreement — have stepped up efforts to torpedo it,” he added. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he plans to meet with US President Donald Trump this Sunday in Florida.

Zelenskyy earlier posted to social media that a meeting would take place in the coming days (see below).

But Ukrainian media and others earlier reported a meeting between the two leaders was likely going to take place on Sunday, at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

Trump is spending his Christmas break there.

“This meeting ‍is specifically for the ​purpose of finalizing everything as ⁠much ​as we can,” Zelenskyy ‌said.

Kyiv and Washington have worked up a 20-point peace plan that has been sent to Russia. 

The meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump comes after a flurry of diplomatic activity last weekend in Miami.  

DW traveled to Ukraine’s occupied Donetsk region to speak with residents living under Russian aggression since 2014. After a decade of conflict, many say they remain resolved to hold on to their freedom.

Ukrainian energy providers in the Black Sea port of Odesa reported two power supply facilities were damaged in Russian drone attacks on the coastal city.

Teams were working to restore power to Odesa residents, according to regional military administrative chief Sergei Lysak.

“Today, the enemy attacked our city again,” he said in remarks carried by Ukrainian agency Ukrainski Novini, describing the attack as a drone strike and adding he had no reports of casualties.

Russia has been escalating its attacks on Odesa for several weeks, including attacks on its port facilities, an apparent attempt to degrade Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says the EU does not need to become fully independent of the United States, despite the direction of Donald Trump’s administration

He added he was “absolutely convinced” that the US was fully invested in the alliance. “There’s no doubt,” he told the dpa news agency.

While the EU was now required to invest more in defense and take more responsibility, the goal was to do so alongside the US, he added.

Many voices in Europe have questioned US’ commitment to its allies amid negative signals coming from the Donald Trump’s administration, including inflammatory rhetoric and economic pressure. On Ukraine, Trump’s has sparked particular concern by feuding with Volodymyr Zelenskyy while making perceived overtures to Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

The latest US security strategy also points out that “the days of the United States propping up the entire world order like Atlas are over,” based on Trump’s “America First” slogan.

Talking to dpa, Rutte pointed out that three-quarters of NATO’s economic output come from outside the EU due to countries such as the US, the UK, Canada, Norway and Turkey.

“Let’s not forget that when it comes to Europe (and) NATO, there’s more than the EU,” he said.

A day after Kyiv claimed hits on Russia’s oil refineries with Storm Shadow missiles, the Russian defense ministry said its forces shot down seven of the UK-made rockets in one week.

The ministry also said its air defenses destroyed 8 HIMARS-launched missiles and more than 1,350 drones. The numbers could not be independently verified.

Storm Shadow cruise missiles have a range of more than 250 kilometers (155 miles), fly low to avoid detection, and are designed to blast through hardened enemy targets. They were supplied to Ukraine by the UK in 2023. Initially, the UK limited the missiles’ use to targets within Ukrainian territory, but Kyiv has since used them to strike locations inside Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that he might be open to swapping some territory held by Russian forces in Ukraine, while insisting that Moscow wants full control of the Donbas region, according to the Russian newspaper Kommersant.

The newspaper reported that Putin outlined the position during a late-night Kremlin meeting with senior business leaders on Wednesday.

Kommersant correspondent Andrei Kolesnikov wrote that Putin said Russia remained ready to make the same concessions discussed previously, summing up the position as “Donbas is ours.”

The term Donbas refers to the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Outside Donbas, Kolesnikov reported, a partial exchange of territories controlled by Russia was not ruled out.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kyiv and Washington have moved closer to finalizing a 20-point plan during talks held over the weekend in Miami.

However, Zelenskyy said Ukraine and the United States have not found common ground on demands that Kyiv cede parts of Donbas it still controls, or on the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is held by Russian forces.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly pledged to end the war, the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that he had agreed to a meeting with US President Donald Trump in the “near future.”

“A lot can be decided before the New Year,” he posted on social media.

The announcement follows weeks of stepped-up diplomatic efforts to end Ukraine’s war with Russia.

On Thursday, Zelenskyy gave a positive assessment of his conversation with Trump representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner about ending the war.

This followed his presentation of a 20-point draft peace plan developed with US officials on Tuesday.

The draft marked a sharp shift from earlier proposals that would have forced Kyiv to give up territory and abandon NATO ambitions.

It calls for security guarantees to prevent future Russian attacks and includes measures to rebuild Ukraine. It also demands Russia to withdraw from several regions, including Kharkiv and Mykolaiv, while Ukraine would create a demilitarized zone in parts of Donetsk, but only if Moscow reciprocates.

However, the Kremlin, buoyed by battlefield gains, is unlikely to accept the deal. It said it was analyzing proposals brought back from the US.

President Vladimir Putin reiterated last week that Ukraine must leave Donetsk and Luhansk and rule out NATO membership.

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, has ordered a major boost in missile production.

State media reports that he visited munitions factories and told officials to expand capacity and build new plants to meet growing military demand.

“The missile and shell production sector is of paramount importance in bolstering up the war deterrent,” Kim said according to state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Pyongyang has sharply increased missile tests in recent years, aiming to improve precision strikes and challenge the United States and South Korea. Analysts say the weapons are also being prepared for export to Russia.

North Korea and Russia have strengthened ties since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Pyongyang has supplied troops, artillery shells and rocket systems, while Russia provides financial aid, technology and food.

Could Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump meet before the New Year?

The Ukrainian president seems to think so.

On Friday, Zelenskyy said he had agreed to meet with his US counterpart, adding: “A lot can be decided before the New Year.”

Washington and Kyiv appear close to finalizing a plan to end the war in Ukraine, though questions remain about Russia’s response and lingering disputes.

A White House meeting could seal the deal, or go off the rails, as one earlier this year did.

We’ll bring you the latest updates right here in this blog.