While the presidents of Ukraine and the United States are expected to meet in Florida on Sunday regarding the US peace plan, sources report that most elements of the agreement between the two sides have been agreed upon, and the Russians have allegedly agreed that a ceasefire is needed to hold a referendum amid difficulties with the territorial issue, Axios reports, writes UNN.
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"President Trump is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Mar-a-Lago on Sunday to try to reach an agreement on the US peace plan," Ukrainian officials told the publication.
As the publication notes, "the meeting is a sign of significant progress in the negotiations." Trump previously stated that he would only meet with Zelenskyy when he believed an agreement was close to being reached.
Ukrainian officials tell Axios that the meeting will take place on Sunday. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As indicated, the planned presidential meeting will follow weekend talks in Florida between Trump's advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and the chief negotiators from Russia and Ukraine – the latest in a long series of meetings over the past two months.
A senior US official called the talks with Ukrainian negotiator, NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov, and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev "positive and constructive."
"We have made as much progress as possible with the Russians and Ukrainians. In the last two weeks, we have made more progress than in the entire past year. We want to score a goal. We are moving in the right direction," the US official said.
Negotiations continued on Christmas. Zelenskyy spoke with Witkoff and Kushner on Thursday.
"Later on Thursday, Witkoff and Kushner held additional discussions with Ukrainian negotiators and Russian officials," the publication writes.
The Kremlin said on Friday that Yuri Ushakov, the chief foreign policy aide to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, had spoken with American counterparts.
"Most elements of the agreement have been agreed upon between the US and Ukraine, officials from both countries say, including security guarantees that Kyiv will receive from the US and Europe. A senior US official confirmed that the US is ready to send security guarantees with text based on NATO Article 5 to the Senate for ratification," the publication says.
"The US and Europe will provide security guarantees to Ukraine. If Russia invades Ukraine, there will be a military response, and sanctions will be reinstated," Zelenskyy said at a briefing with journalists earlier this week.
Zelenskyy said that the parties are still negotiating who will manage Europe's largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia.
The main stumbling block, as the publication notes, "is Russia's demand to control the entire Donbas region under any agreement."
The US proposed that the areas from which Ukrainian troops would be withdrawn become a demilitarized "free economic zone." Zelenskyy insisted on a similar withdrawal of Russian troops from the current line of contact and emphasized that territorial concessions must be approved in a referendum.
"The U.S. side approves of the idea of Ukraine holding a ceasefire on the deal, but the logistics will be complicated," the publication says.
According to a senior US official, "the Russians - who have previously opposed a ceasefire until a deal is final - have agreed that a ceasefire would be needed to hold such a referendum." "But while Ukraine wants a 60-day ceasefire, the Russians may demand something shorter," the official said.