‘He doesn’t have anything until I approve it’: Donald Trump casts himself as final arbiter of Ukraine peace deal; sceptical of Zelenskyy's plan

US President Donald Trump has said any peace deal to end the war between Ukraine and Russia will ultimately depend on his approval, casting himself as the final decision-maker ahead of talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Politico on Friday, Trump appeared unenthusiastic about Zelenskyy’s latest peace proposal, a revised 20-point framework that the Ukrainian leader is expected to present during their meeting on Sunday.


The plan includes ideas such as a demilitarised zone and requests for US security guarantees.

“He doesn’t have anything until I approve it,” Trump said, referring to Zelenskyy’s proposal. “So we’ll see what he’s got.”

Zelenskyy has said the meeting will focus on key unresolved issues, including security guarantees, control of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and territorial questions surrounding the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

According to the New York Times, Zelenskyy has described the agenda as broad and said “a lot can be decided before the New Year”.

Trump’s remarks underline how dependent Kyiv’s future strategy has become on convincing the US president that Ukraine is prepared to compromise.

While Washington has pushed Zelenskyy to soften some of his earlier demands, Russia has largely held to its hardline position and has not publicly responded to the latest proposal, reported Politico.

Despite his scepticism, Trump said he expected the talks to be constructive. “I think it’s going to go good with him. I think it’s going to go good with [Vladimir] Putin,” he said, adding that he hopes to speak with the Russian president “soon”.

The comments came a day after Zelenskyy held discussions with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, which the Ukrainian leader later described as a “good conversation”.

As per the New York Times, Zelenskyy said those talks produced “good ideas” and new thinking on formats and timelines for pushing diplomacy forward.

Zelenskyy’s proposal includes the creation of a demilitarised zone in parts of Donbas still under Ukrainian control, but only if Russia withdraws its forces from a corresponding area in Donetsk.

Moscow has shown no sign of accepting anything short of full control of the region, highlighting the wide gap between the two sides.

Trump also said Russia was under economic pressure. “Their economy is in tough shape, very tough shape,” he told Politico.

During the interview, Trump confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would also visit him this weekend. “I have Zelenskyy and I have Bibi coming. They’re all coming,” he said.

“They respect our country again.” According to an NBC report cited by Politico, Netanyahu is expected to brief Trump on the growing threat from Iran.

Trump’s remarks followed US airstrikes against ISIS targets in Nigeria, which he said were delayed by a day for symbolic reasons. “I said, ‘nope, let’s give a Christmas present,’” he told Politico, claiming the strikes had heavily damaged militant camps.

As diplomacy continues, Zelenskyy has said Ukraine is ready to show flexibility but warned that if Russia refuses to engage seriously, stronger pressure from the West would be needed to bring the war closer to an end, reported the New York Times.