Palm Beach/Washington/Kyiv, 29 December (H.S.): US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he held a “good and very productive” telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, just hours before hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida for crucial talks on a revised peace plan to halt the nearly four-year-old war in Ukraine.

The back-to-back engagements underscore Trump’s drive to present himself as a peacemaker in the conflict, even as renewed Russian missile and drone strikes on Kyiv have deepened European skepticism over the Kremlin’s intentions.

Call With Putin

Trump announced the phone call on his Truth Social platform, stating that he had spoken with Putin shortly before his scheduled 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) meeting with Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago. The Kremlin, through spokesman Dmitry Peskov, later confirmed that the discussion had taken place, describing it as focused on the evolving US-backed initiative to secure a ceasefire and broader settlement.

According to accounts from US and Russian officials, Trump reaffirmed his ambition to achieve what he called a “beneficial agreement for Ukraine and for everybody,” but signalled that any deal would require “difficult decisions” on the ground, including contested territory in eastern Ukraine.

Putin, in parallel public remarks, has insisted that Russia will pursue its objectives “by military means” if Kyiv refuses to accept terms that include recognition of Moscow’s claimed gains.

Meeting With Zelensky

Zelensky’s in-person meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago marks their first face-to-face encounter since October, when Washington declined Kyiv’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles.

The two leaders are expected to examine a revised 20-point peace plan drafted in recent weeks by US and Ukrainian negotiators, which seeks to freeze the conflict roughly along current front lines and establish demilitarised buffer zones in parts of eastern Ukraine.

Under the outline reported by multiple outlets, Ukraine could be asked to pull back some forces from sections of the east to enable internationally monitored demilitarised areas, in what would amount to Kyiv’s clearest signal yet that limited territorial concessions are under discussion.

However, the proposal does not envisage Ukraine surrendering the approximately 20 percent of Donetsk region it still holds, a point of major contention given Moscow’s demand that all areas it claims, including those not yet fully occupied, be recognised as Russian territory.

Kyiv Under Fire, Questions Over Peace

The diplomatic choreography has unfolded against a backdrop of escalating Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital, which Zelensky has framed as evidence that Putin “doesn’t want peace.”

In the days leading up to his Florida trip, Russia launched one of its heaviest combined drone and missile barrages in months, targeting energy and residential infrastructure in and around Kyiv and temporarily knocking out power and heating for hundreds of thousands of civilians in sub-zero temperatures.

Ukrainian officials said almost 500 drones and dozens of missiles were fired at the capital region over one night, with images showing gaping holes in apartment blocks and fires ripping through upper floors.

As air defences battled incoming salvos, authorities reported at least one person killed and multiple injuries, while suburbs such as Brovary experienced widespread blackouts.

Zelensky’s Red Lines And Security Guarantees

Speaking during a stopover in Canada before flying to the United States, Zelensky said he hoped the talks in Florida would be “very constructive,” but stressed that any ceasefire must be underpinned by strong, enforceable security guarantees to deter future Russian aggression.

He indicated that Kyiv could contemplate withdrawing troops from some sections of the front to create demilitarised zones, but only if Russia reciprocates and if international mechanisms oversee compliance.

Zelensky has repeatedly ruled out recognising Russia’s claim to territories seized since the full-scale invasion in 2022, including parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, as well as Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

Ukrainian officials insist that Western military and financial backing, along with binding security assurances, remain essential to any sustainable settlement, warning that a mere ceasefire without such guarantees would only allow Russia to regroup and strike again.

European Skepticism And Russian Posture

Key European governments have reacted cautiously to reports of Trump’s emerging plan, fearing that premature territorial concessions by Kyiv could reward aggression and undermine broader European security.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused European states of acting as the “main obstacle” to peace, alleging that they are preparing for a long-term confrontation with Moscow rather than encouraging compromise.

On the battlefield, Russia has recently claimed to have captured additional towns in eastern Ukraine, moves analysts say bolster Moscow’s bargaining power as negotiations intensify.

Putin, visiting a military command centre in Moscow, reiterated that if Ukrainian authorities “do not want to settle this business peacefully,” Russia will “resolve all the problems” through continued military operations.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar