Trump teases talk with Putin ahead of meeting with Zelenskyy as peace efforts continue

Speaking during an interview with Politico on Friday, Trump expressed confidence about his prospective engagements with the Russian leader, adding that he is eager to talk to Putin in the near future.

“I think it’s going to go good with him. I think it’s going to go good with [Vladimir] Putin,” Trump said to Politico, adding that he expects to speak with Putin “soon, as much as I want.”
The remarks come after Zelenskyy confirmed his meeting with the US President, acting as a mediator in the peace talks to end the war, in Florida on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Zelenskyy said the meeting could help move discussions closer to a settlement, though he cautioned that no final agreement should be expected immediately, CNN reported.

He further stated that both sides would focus on resolving as many outstanding issues as possible.
Zelenskyy also said the 20-point peace plan proposed by US and Ukrainian officials is 90 per cent ready and that talks with Trump would focus on long-term security guarantees for Ukraine and the role of its allies in ensuring stability after the war, as reported by CNN.

However, during his interview, Trump said that any peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia would require his approval.

“He doesn’t have anything until I approve it,” Trump said. “So we’ll see what he’s got,” he added during his interview with Politico.
The last time Trump and Putin spoke was in October by phone, which the White House said was “very good and productive” and lasted “over two hours”.

During the conversation, Putin congratulated Trump on the ceasefire reached over the Gaza issue.

“It was a very good and productive call. It lasted for over two hours. Various issues were discussed and President Putin congratulated President Trump for solving issues between Israel and Gaza and bringing peace back to the Middle East… President Trump feels that great progress was made on this call,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

Earlier this month, Putin’s top adviser, Yury Ushakov, held nearly five hours of talks with US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on efforts to advance peace negotiations over Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the capital of Kyiv came under a large-scale missile and drone attack overnight on December 27, with multiple explosions reported across the Ukrainian capital and surrounding regions, one day ahead of the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy.

According to the Kyiv Independent, citing monitoring sources, the capital was hit by a large-scale ballistic missile assault as Russia fired multiple Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, four Iskander ballistic missiles, and several Kalibr cruise missiles at the city.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the attack in a post on Telegram, urging residents to remain in shelters.

“Explosions in the capital. Air defence forces are working. Stay in shelters!” he wrote. (ANI)