[UPDATES] As of 9 a.m. Friday, Dec. 26: President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed preparations for a high-level meeting with US President Donald Trump, adding that “a lot can be decided before the New Year.”
In a fresh statement, Zelensky said Defense Minister and chief negotiator Rustem Umerov had briefed him on his latest contacts with the American side.
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“We are not losing a single day,” Zelensky said. “We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level – with President Trump – in the near future. A lot can be decided before the New Year.”
WASHINGTON DC – In a calculated pivot from wartime rhetoric to negotiation logistics, President Volodymyr Zelensky used his nightly Christmas address to lay out the mechanics of what he called a “real peace,” while diplomatic sources tell Kyiv Post that he is expected to travel to Florida in the coming days for high-stakes talks in Mar-a-Lago – a potential venue for a meeting with US leadership.
The visit could take place as soon as Dec. 28 if everything goes according to plan, one source said.
Zelensky detailed a marathon, hour-long call Thursday with US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, describing the discussion as a deep dive into the “formats, meetings, and timing” needed to halt the bloodshed.
“We have some new ideas,” Zelensky said, signaling an end to vague platitudes as the White House sets year-end deadlines.
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“Some documents are already prepared. As I see it, they are nearly ready. And some documents are fully prepared,” he emphasized.
Kyiv’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, remained on call with the US delegation late Thursday to keep the dialogue moving, as Zelensky warned that the “weeks ahead may also be intensive” in the run-up to the New Year.
High specificity meets high hurdles
Behind the scenes, Western capitals are taking note of Kyiv’s growing stack of documents.
A senior Western official involved in US-European coordination told Kyiv Post that the current mood is one of “cautious intrigue,” following recent high-level Trump administration meetings in Miami and Florida tied to the former president’s peace initiative.
“The level of specificity is higher than we’ve seen before,” the official said on condition of anonymity, adding, “But the hardest parts – security guarantees, enforcement, and Russia’s legal commitments – are still very much unresolved.”
The strategy is unmistakable: Ukraine is front-loading US “America First” skepticism by delivering a ready-made solution that aligns Washington’s security interests with a pathway to ending the war’s drain on Western treasuries.
The 20-point blueprint
The centerpiece of Zelensky’s Christmas offensive is a 20-point peace plan, an evolution of his earlier “Peace Formula.”
This is far from a simple ceasefire proposal – it is a comprehensive reimagining of Ukraine’s postwar statehood within the current Washington landscape.
Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of US-based advocacy group Hope for Ukraine, called the framework a “pivotal shift,” moving Kyiv from aspirational goals to hard-coded security realities – including Article 5-style security guarantees from the US and European partners, and a binding non-aggression pact ratified by Russia in exchange for Kyiv’s reaffirmation of non-nuclear status.
Beyond security, the plan includes a “Prosperity Plan” with a fixed EU membership timeline and an accelerated US–Ukraine Free Trade Agreement, along with humanitarian provisions such as “all-for-all” prisoner exchanges and the return of deported children.
The Kremlin has responded with its usual cautious posture. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova described talks as “slow but steady,” but Russia remains the ultimate wildcard when it comes to enforcement.
Western officials remain skeptical, noting Moscow’s willingness to talk “in principle” while avoiding binding commitments.
Will the West pressure Moscow?
Zelensky has carefully tied the diplomatic initiative to battlefield realities.
“All those who are now on combat missions are strengthening our diplomatic positions,” he said, framing every meter held in Donbas as a punctuation mark in the eventual treaty.
Ukraine’s Christmas offensive sends a clear message: Kyiv is no longer waiting for peace plans to arrive from Washington or Brussels. Instead, it is drafting its own, delivering a ready-to-sign roadmap directly to the Trump administration.
Diplomatic sources indicate that Ukraine’s leadership may be preparing for a trip to Florida in the coming days, potentially bringing Zelensky into direct proximity with President Donald Trump’s base at Mar-a-Lago.
Ukrainian officials have already been meeting US negotiators there to discuss peace proposals.
In both Washington and Kyiv, anticipation – and uncertainty – is growing over whether this Christmas gambit will produce tangible progress or merely extend months of high-stakes, high-risk diplomacy into the new year.
In Kyiv, Christmas came with strategy and hope – and the world is watching to see whether diplomacy can finally turn the tide.
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