President Donald Trump on Sunday said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “hasn’t read” the latest U.S.-drafted peace proposal aimed at ending the war with Russia, suggesting this is delaying progress in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors, Trump voiced frustration after U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators wrapped up three days of talks in Florida. “I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn’t yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago,” he said. Trump claimed Ukrainian officials were positive about the plan and added, “Russia is, I believe, fine with it,” although Moscow has not publicly endorsed it.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last week said parts of the proposal were unworkable, even though earlier drafts were viewed as favorable to Moscow.
Trump has had an uneven relationship with Zelenskyy during his second term, repeatedly criticizing the war as a burden on U.S. taxpayers and urging Ukraine to hand over territory to end the nearly four-year conflict.
Zelenskyy said Saturday he had a “substantive phone call” with U.S. officials involved in the negotiations and that Ukraine remained committed to working “in good faith” toward a genuine peace deal.
Russia on Sunday welcomed the Trump administration’s new national security strategy, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling Russia’s Tass news agency that the updated document aligned with Moscow’s preference for dialogue over confrontation. The strategy outlines Washington’s intent to improve relations with Russia and identifies ending the war as essential for restoring “strategic stability.”
Trump’s outgoing Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday, said efforts to finalize a deal were “in the last 10 meters.” He said the main unresolved issues involve the status of the Donbas region and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, both largely under Russian control.
Kellogg, who leaves his post in January, did not attend the Florida talks. Officials also said leaders of the UK, France and Germany are set to meet Zelenskyy in London on Monday.
As discussions concluded, Russian missile, drone and artillery strikes killed at least four people across Ukraine between Saturday night and Sunday. A man died in a drone strike in Chernihiv region, while attacks on Kremenchuk knocked out power and water supplies in the industrial city. Three more people were killed and 10 wounded in shelling in Kharkiv region, according to prosecutors.
Ukraine and its Western partners say Russia aims to plunge civilians into darkness and cold for a fourth winter by targeting power infrastructure.