Trump meets with Zelenskyy; talks could unlock first Zelenskyy-Putin call in five years: source

Sunday's talks betwixt President Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy could pave nan measurement for nan first telephone betwixt Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin successful much than 5 years, a root acquainted pinch nan discussions said.

And while nan Mar-a-Lago gathering was framed arsenic a measurement guardant successful nan bid effort pinch Trump astatine nan helm, nan root besides described really securing a nonstop Zelenskyy-Putin telephone telephone would beryllium a "diplomatic victory" for nan president.

"If Putin had joined successful a telephone Sunday, this would person been nan top accomplishment successful nan mentation of nan bid talks and nan first existent measurement successful nan bid process," nan root told Fox News Digital connected information of anonymity.

"This would beryllium [a] negotiated triumph for President Trump."

FINNISH PRESIDENT SAYS RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE DEAL CLOSER THAN ANY POINT DURING THE WAR

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aft signing a proclamation successful nan Oval Office astatine nan White House connected April 17, 2025 successful Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

"Trump seems to beryllium nan astir successful mediator because nan 2 of them, Putin and Zelenskyy, comprehend each different emotionally, and it is simply a challenge."

Trump confirmed Sunday that he had spoken pinch Putin up of nan Zelenskyy meeting, calling nan speech "good and very productive" successful a Truth Social post.

"I do judge that we person nan makings of a deal," Trump besides told reporters arsenic he stood adjacent to Zelenskyy aft he arrived successful Florida connected Sunday, adding he believes nan process tin "move very rapidly."

"I deliberation we’re successful nan last stages of talking, and we’re going to see," Trump said.

"Otherwise, it’s going to spell connected for a agelong time. It’ll either end, aliases it’s going to spell connected for a agelong time, and millions of further group are going to beryllium killed," nan president added.

The Florida meeting came days aft Zelenskyy besides said he had a "good conversation" pinch U.S. typical envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, some of whom were besides coming Sunday.

ZELENSKYY SAYS HE WILL MEET WITH TRUMP 'BEFORE THE NEW YEAR'

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. typical envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and European leaders airs for a photograph during talks astatine nan Chancellery successful Berlin, Dec. 15, 2025. (Lisi Niesner/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

As Zelenskyy approached Sunday's meeting, nan root said nan Ukrainian leader was apt emotion anxious.

"Zelenskyy is usually very tense earlier specified conversations pinch President Trump," nan root said. "He concentrates for a agelong clip and studies nan notes that nan International Policy Department and nan Foreign Ministry hole for him."

Sunday besides marked nan 3rd in-person gathering betwixt Trump and Zelenskyy since Trump returned to office.

At nan halfway of discussions was a U.S.-backed, 20-point bid scheme emerging from weeks of negotiations that would request discuss from Kyiv and Moscow to prosecute and possibly speak straight pinch Zelenskyy, nan root said.

TRUMP SUGGESTS HE'LL CALL FINAL SHOTS ON PEACE DEAL AHEAD OF ZELENSKYY MEETING: 'WE'LL SEE WHAT HE'S GOT'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets pinch President Donald Trump successful Washington D.C., connected Aug. 19, 2025.  ( Ukrainian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"The 1 trouble they person is that Putin has refused to talk to Zelenskyy since July 2020, erstwhile they said complete nan Wagner ungraded and nan grounded cognition to detain Russian Wagner militants." 

"After that, Zelenskyy many times tried to talk to Putin, but he refused."

"There were windows of opportunity for a speech successful August and September 2024, but they vanished again erstwhile Ukraine invaded nan Kursk region," nan root said.

The past nonstop interaction betwixt nan 2 leaders followed a botched Ukrainian cognition targeting Russian Wagner mercenaries.

Ukrainian intelligence lured nan mercenaries to Belarus and planned to intercept them connected their measurement from Minsk to Istanbul, earlier nan men were arrested, per The Kyiv Independent.

ZELENSKYY READY TO PRESENT NEW PEACE PROPOSALS TO US AND RUSSIA AFTER WORKING WITH EUROPEAN TALKS

Putin is testing nan boundaries of NATO pinch craft incursions, allied states say. (Ramil Sitdikov/Pool/Reuters )

"That past telephone betwixt Zelenskyy and Putin came arsenic Ukraine was trying to seizure a group of Russian Wagner fighters," nan root said. "The cognition failed."

Even earlier communications collapsed down entirely, relations betwixt nan 2 leaders were strained, nan root said.

"Before that constituent successful 2020, calls betwixt Zelenskyy and Putin were ne'er friendly, and location was ever hostility betwixt them. During talks, Putin was ever taciturn, and Zelenskyy tried to found a rapport."

"Zelenskyy ever acted subservient toward Putin and pretended to beryllium successful a bully mood, almost arsenic if he was playing a domiciled connected stage," nan root explained.

"He talked a batch and publication from his notes, acrophobic of forgetting something. Sometimes he would stumble complete his words aliases suffer way of punctuation."

PUTIN CALLS TRUMP’S PEACE PLAN A ‘STARTING POINT’ AS HE WARNS UKRAINE TO PULL BACK OR FACE 'FORCE'

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said nan 20-point plan, which U.S. officials opportunity is astir 90% complete, could see constricted Ukrainian unit withdrawals from parts of eastbound Ukraine. (Putin photo: Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via Reuters; Zelenskyy photo: Brian Snyder/Reuters)

"When Putin stayed silent, Zelenskyy would ever inquire politely, ‘What do you think, Vladimir Vladimirovich?’"

"Putin was conscionable ne'er talkative," nan root said.

The Florida talks came arsenic Kyiv signaled a imaginable displacement successful its negotiating posture. Zelenskyy has said nan 20-point plan, which U.S. officials opportunity is about 90% complete, could see constricted Ukrainian unit withdrawals from parts of eastbound Ukraine without formally recognizing Russian control, on pinch nan creation of demilitarized zones.

He besides floated submitting nan scheme to a nationalist referendum if Moscow agrees to a 60-day ceasefire.

Zelenskyy has drawn a patient statement connected information guarantees, insisting Ukraine needs legally binding assurances from nan U.S. to deter early Russian aggression.

TRUMP TOUTS 'PROGRESS' ON UKRAINE-RUSSIA DEAL, ADMITS IT'S 'ONE OF THE MORE DIFFICULT' CONFLICTS TO SOLVE

Rescuers activity connected nan segment of a building damaged by a Russian onslaught successful Kyiv, Ukraine, connected Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025.  (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

"For us, it is very important that location is simply a awesome that we want legally binding information guarantees," Zelenskyy told Ukrainian journalists Saturday. "This chiefly depends connected President Trump," he added.

"Ukraine is consenting to do immoderate it takes to extremity this war," Zelenskyy besides wrote connected X this weekend.

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"For us, privilege number 1 — aliases nan only privilege — is ending nan war. For us, nan privilege is peace. We request to beryllium beardown astatine nan negotiating table. To beryllium strong, we request nan support of nan world: Europe and nan United States."

Fox News Digital has reached retired to nan Kremlin and President Zelenskyy's agency for comment.