Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Friday that he will meet President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday to discuss what he described as a nearly finalized peace framework to end the war with Russia. Zelensky told journalists that the 20-point plan under negotiation is "about 90 percent ready."

"We are not losing a single day. We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level — with President Trump in the near future," Zelensky wrote on X. "A lot can be decided before the New Year."

The meeting follows weeks of intensive diplomacy led by Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who spoke with Zelensky for about an hour on Christmas Day. Zelensky described the conversation as "really good" and said it produced "some new ideas on how to bring real peace closer."

Trump, however, tempered Zelensky's optimism in an interview with Politico on Friday.

"He doesn't have anything until I approve it," Trump said. "So we'll see what he's got."

The president added that he expected Sunday's meeting to go well and said he anticipated speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin "soon, as much as I want."

What's in the draft framework

The 20-point document represents a slimmed-down version of an original 28-point plan that the United States had previously discussed with Moscow. That earlier draft was widely criticized as favoring Russia, as it called for Ukraine to cede territory and accept limits on its military.

The current proposal includes security guarantees for Ukraine, a peacetime army of 800,000 troops partially funded by Western partners, European Union membership, and continued military support from Europe. In exchange, Kyiv would withdraw forces from the areas of the eastern Donbas region it still controls, which would be demilitarized and monitored by international forces.

The plan envisions Russia pulling back from a comparably sized amount of territory. American negotiators have described the proposed demilitarized zone as a "free economic zone," though the details remain under discussion.

"For us, it's a security guarantee," Zelensky said of the large standing army provision. "And the American side hears us."

Both the United States and Ukraine would need to ratify the security guarantees through their respective legislatures for them to take effect. Zelensky indicated that Ukraine is "ready with these documents" but acknowledged there are "technical" issues still to be worked out with Trump.

According to Axios, Zelensky is prepared to put the peace plan to a national referendum in Ukraine if Russia agrees to honor a 60-day ceasefire. In that scenario, Witkoff and Kushner would travel to Ukraine to make their case for the deal directly to the public. Zelensky suggested a visit from Trump himself could also help advance the effort.

Russian response remains uncertain

Moscow has sent mixed signals about whether it would accept the emerging framework. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday that there had been "slow but steady progress" in peace talks, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Moscow was analyzing documents brought back from the United States by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev.

"It was agreed upon to continue the dialogue," Peskov told reporters Friday.

But Russia has given no public indication that it will agree to any kind of withdrawal from territory it has seized. Moscow has previously insisted that Ukraine relinquish all remaining land it holds in the Donbas, an ultimatum Kyiv has rejected. Russia currently occupies most of Luhansk and about 70 percent of Donetsk, the two regions that comprise the Donbas.

The Kommersant newspaper reported that Putin, in a recent conversation with businessmen, was still insisting that all of the Donbas region be turned over to Russia.

Zelensky acknowledged Friday that Russia "constantly looks for reasons not to agree." If Moscow rejects this new draft, he said, "it means the pressure is insufficient." He plans to discuss additional pressure on Russia when he meets with Trump.

Ukraine and Russia are not communicating directly about the draft. All messages are passing through Washington, and Zelensky said he expects to hear a Russian reaction through American intermediaries in the coming days.

Fighting continues despite diplomacy

The diplomatic push has not slowed the pace of violence on the ground. Putin declined a Ukrainian request for a Christmas ceasefire and has continued launching drones and missiles at civilian infrastructure.

Two people were killed and six wounded Friday when a guided aerial bomb struck a busy road in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, setting cars ablaze. One person died and three were injured when a bomb hit a house in the Zaporizhzhia region, while six were wounded in a missile strike on the city of Uman.

Russian drone attacks on Mykolaiv and its suburbs overnight left parts of the city without power. Energy and port infrastructure were damaged by drones in Odesa on the Black Sea.

Ukraine has continued its own offensive operations. On Thursday, Ukrainian forces struck the Novoshakhtinsk refinery in Russia's Rostov region using British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles. The General Staff said multiple explosions were recorded and the target was hit. Rostov Governor Yuri Slyusar said a firefighter was wounded while extinguishing the resulting fire.

Ukraine also delivered what it characterized as a significant blow on Christmas Day by recapturing Kupyansk, a key rail hub. Earlier in the week, Ukrainian forces had withdrawn from their stronghold in the eastern town of Siversk.

European involvement sought

Zelensky emphasized that the final agreement cannot be reached without European participation. He said the 20-point plan requires signatures from four parties: Europe, the United States, Ukraine and Russia.

"It is impossible to sign the 20 points without Russia and without the Europeans. Yes, it is a four-party agreement," he said.

Zelensky spoke Friday with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz about preparations for the Trump meeting. He said he briefed Merz on his work with American envoys and that the two leaders "agreed to continue acting together with Europeans."

However, Zelensky expressed doubt that European leaders could be brought into Sunday's meeting on short notice.

"We must, without doubt, find some format in the near future in which not only Ukraine and the U.S. are present, but Europe is represented as well," he said.

The Washington Post reported that even if Washington and Kyiv settle on terms this weekend, it is far from clear that Moscow would agree. Analysts cited by the paper said Russia is unlikely to accept the proposal as written, particularly the provisions allowing Ukraine to maintain a large standing army.

Trump's push for a deal continues a diplomatic effort he began shortly after taking office. He met with Putin in Alaska in mid-August with hopes of advancing talks, but a ceasefire has not materialized.