KYIV:&nbsp;Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that he would meet US President Donald Trump this weekend to discuss efforts to end Russia&#39;s invasion. &quot;Over the weekend, I think on Sunday, in Florida, we will have a meeting with President Trump,&quot; Zelensky said in a message to journalists. The latest round of US-Ukraine negotiations produced a 20-point plan to end the war, which has been sent to Moscow. &quot;We will discuss these documents, security guarantees,&quot; Zelensky said. &quot;As for sensitive issues, we will discuss Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and we will certainly discuss other issues,&quot; he added. Zelensky said this week there was still disagreements between Kyiv and Washington over the two issues. Despite that, Ukraine won some concessions in the latest plan, which would freeze the frontline and remove a requirement for Kyiv to legally renounce its bid to join NATO, Zelensky said. The Ukrainian leader also indicated the plan opened the way to eventually pulling his troops back in the eastern Donetsk region and establishing a demilitarised zone -- positions Kyiv has previously been reluctant to accept. The Kremlin said Friday that foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov had held a telephone call with US officials to discuss the negotiations. It did not elaborate and has not indicated its position on the latest plan. Moscow has up to now shown little inclination to abandon its hardline territorial demands that Ukraine fully withdraw from the eastern region of Donbas and end efforts to join NATO. It also wants a ban on Western countries deploying peacekeeping troops in Ukraine and sweeping political and military restrictions that Kyiv says are tantamount to capitulation. Zelensky said Ukrainian negotiators were not directly in touch with Moscow, but that the United States acted as intermediary and was awaiting Moscow&#39;s response to the latest proposal.&quot;I think we will know their official response in the coming days,&quot; Zelensky said.

Europe

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would meet US President Donald Trump this weekend to discuss efforts to end Russia's invasion

Zelensky to meet Trump this weekend in Florida

BRUSSELS: EU leaders gather in Brussels Thursday for a make-or-break summit on using frozen Russian assets for Ukraine -- with key player Belgium under pressure to drop its opposition. The 27-nation bloc is scrambling to strengthen Kyiv&#39;s hand as Russia&rsquo;s war drags towards the four-year mark and US President Donald Trump pushes for a quick deal to end the fighting. Officials have insisted the talks will last as long as it takes to hammer out an agreement, saying both Ukraine&#39;s survival and Europe&#39;s credibility are at stake. &ldquo;If we do not succeed in this, then the European Union&#39;s ability to act will be severely damaged for years,&rdquo; German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned this week. &ldquo;We will show the world that we are incapable of standing together and acting at such a crucial moment in our history.&rdquo; Extra 135 billion eurosThe EU estimates that Ukraine, whose president, Volodymyr Zelensky, will join the meeting, needs an extra 135 billion euros ($159 billion) to stay afloat over the next two years, with the cash crunch set to start in April. In a bid to plug the yawning gap, the European Commission, the EU&#39;s executive, has put forward a plan to tap some 210 billion euros of Russian central bank assets frozen in the bloc. The scheme &mdash; which would initially provide Kyiv with 90 billion euros over two years &mdash; involves an untested financial switcheroo in which the funds are lent to the EU, which then loans them to Ukraine. Kyiv would then only pay back the &ldquo;reparations loan&rdquo; once the Kremlin coughs up for all the damage it has wrought. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Belgium blocking&nbsp;</h2>Belgium, where the international deposit organization Euroclear holds the vast bulk of the funds, has been firmly opposed, citing fears it could face crippling financial and legal reprisals from Moscow. Russia has already fired a shot across the bows by announcing it was suing Euroclear. Belgium&rsquo;s outspoken prime minister Bart De Wever will be in the spotlight as his EU counterparts -- most of whom back the plan -- try to cajole him to accept. EU officials say they have gone out of their way to allay Belgian concerns and that multiple layers of protection, including guarantees from other member states, mean the risks are minimal. But so far Flemish nationalist De Wever has only dug in further, insisting that any guarantees must be unlimited and assets frozen in other countries should be used too. In theory, other EU countries could override Belgium and ram the initiative through with a weighted majority, but that would be a nuclear option that few see as likely for now. &ldquo;These are complex decisions that cannot be forced,&rdquo; said Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, who could offer key political cover for Belgium. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Plan B? &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</h2>The commission has floated a potential fallback plan of the EU raising the money itself to lend to Ukraine. But officials say that scheme has been shelved as it requires unanimous approval from the EU&rsquo;s 27 leaders, and Hungary has ruled it out. De Wever nonetheless looks set to try to revive that idea, and other countries may be open to his arguments. &ldquo;It is on the shelf, not in the bin,&rdquo; said one EU diplomat, speaking like others on condition of anonymity. &ldquo;But we are focused now on the reparations loan.&rdquo; Bubbling close to the surface of the EU&rsquo;s discussion are the US efforts to forge a deal to end the war. Ukraine has said Washington was &ldquo;pressuring&rdquo; the EU not to use the assets, as they view them as a vital bargaining chip in winning over Russia. But EU officials deny that and say that, if anything, the push for peace has spurred the efforts to tap the Russian funds. Given that Ukraine has only months before the shortfalls bite, diplomats and officials insist leaders will find a way to keep funds flowing -- even if this week yields only a loose deal with details to be hammered out later. &ldquo;We need to find a solution,&rdquo; said a second EU diplomat. &ldquo;I&rsquo;d be surprised if they break up on Saturday or Sunday without a decision.&rdquo;

The 27-nation bloc is scrambling to strengthen Kyiv's hand as Russia’s war drags toward the four-year mark and US President Donald Trump pushes for a quick deal to end the fighting.

EU holds crunch summit on Russian asset plan for Ukraine

KYIV: Ukraine and its European allies scrambled Saturday to come up with counter-proposals after US President Donald Trump gave Kyiv a tight deadline to approve a deal to end the war that accepts some of Russia&#39;s hardline demands.&nbsp;President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed back against the 28-point US plan. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has welcomed the proposal, which would force Ukraine to give up land, cut its army and pledge never to join NATO.&nbsp;French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met Saturday on the the sidelines of a G20 summit in South Africa, the French presidency said.&nbsp;The huddle was held ahead of a wider meeting on the same topic that would include other European leaders, the presidency said.&nbsp;Starmer had earlier said the aim was to &quot;look at how we can strengthen this plan for the next phase of negotiations&quot;.&nbsp;European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the allies should make it clear &quot;that there should be nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.&quot;&nbsp;US Vice President JD Vance reacted to the criticism of the plan, saying it &quot;either misunderstands the framework or misstates some critical reality on the ground.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;There is a fantasy that if we just give more money, more weapons, or more sanctions, victory is at hand,&quot; he added.&nbsp;Ukraine faces one of the most challenging moments in its history, Zelensky said in an address to the nation, adding that he would propose alternatives to Trump&#39;s proposal.&nbsp;A top Ukrainian official on Saturday said Kyiv would launch talks with the US in Switzerland to discuss ways to end the war. The delegation will be led by Zelensky&#39;s top aide Andriy Yermak.&nbsp;Better equipped and larger in numbers, the Russian army is slowly but steadily gaining ground across the lengthy front line.&nbsp;Ukrainians were meanwhile facing one of the toughest winters since the war began, as Moscow carried out a brutal bombing campaign against energy infrastructure.&nbsp;This comes as a sweeping corruption probe that unveiled graft in the energy sector was unravelling in Kyiv, sparking public outcry.&nbsp;US President Donald Trump has given Ukraine less than a week to sign. Zelensky pledged to work to ensure any deal would not &quot;betray&quot; Ukraine&#39;s interests, acknowledging he risked losing Washington as an ally.

Ukraine and its European partners hurried to prepare alternative proposals after US President Donald Trump set a strict deadline for Kyiv to accept a peace deal including some of Russia's tough conditions.

Articles tagged with "President Volodymyr Zelensky"

Zelensky to meet Trump this weekend in Florida

EU holds crunch summit on Russian asset plan for Ukraine

Ukraine, Europe scramble to respond to US plan to end war