Zelenskiy Heads to Florida for High-Stakes Talks With Trump on Ukraine Peace Blueprint

The Surprise Invitation

When Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chartered Antonov touched down at Palm Beach International late Monday night, only a handful of Secret Service agents and a single local news crew were there to witness the unannounced arrival. The Ukrainian president had come, sources tell this outlet, at the direct invitation of Donald Trump, who has promised a "fresh look" at ending Europe’s bloodiest war since 1945.

A meeting months in the making

The two leaders have not shared a room since a terse 2019 appearance at the United Nations, but back-channel phone calls began again in March, according to two Trump aides granted anonymity to discuss sensitive logistics. Trump, who remains the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, told supporters at a recent rally that "only a deal-maker, not a politician, can stop the killing."

What’s on the table?

While Kyiv has released no official agenda, Zelenskiy’s inner circle is carrying what diplomats are calling the "Florida Paper": a five-page outline that includes:

• A 30-day cease-fire monitored by NATO drones
• Gradual sanctions relief tied to Russian troop withdrawals
• International administration of Crimea for a decade-long transition
• US security guarantees for Ukraine outside formal NATO membership

Trump, according to adviser Jason Miller, wants "something dramatic" he can unveil on cable news within 48 hours. The former president has privately mused about branding any breakthrough as "the Art of the Peace," a nod to his 1987 memoir.

Resistance in Washington and Moscow

President Biden’s team learned of the meeting only Sunday evening; National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan issued a terse statement urging "any interlocutor" to keep American policy—support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity—"front and center."

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed "all ideas" but warned that Russia would not accept "imposed conditions." Russian state television has spent the week airing clips of Trump’s past praise for Vladimir Putin, suggesting the Kremlin sees opportunity in a Trump-brokered pause.

Inside Mar-a-Lago

Security at Trump’s private club was tightened overnight; guests were escorted out of the main ballroom where a single long table, draped in cream linen and set with bottled water and notepads, awaited the leaders. Zelenskiy, dressed in his familiar olive pullover, arrived Tuesday morning flanked by Ambassador Oksana Markarova and a young aide clutching a folder stamped "Top Secret."

We are not trading land for headlines. We are trading time for lives. — Volodymyr Zelenskiy to reporters outside Mar-a-Lago

Could this reshape 2024?

Republican strategists say any photo of Trump shaking hands with Zelenskiy could neutralize one of Biden’s strongest foreign-policy contrasts. Democratic operatives, meanwhile, hope to paint the encounter as a last-ditch audition for Trump to prove relevance.

European diplomats in Washington have booked every available seat on Wednesday morning flights to Florida, anxious for a first read-out. "If Trump emerges claiming he can freeze the conflict, the race for the White House just got a new flashpoint," said one EU envoy.

What happens next?

The meeting is scheduled for three hours, ending with a joint press availability Trump’s team has already christened a "victory statement"—language that angers Ukrainians who have lost half their country’s GDP to Russian missile strikes. Whether anything concrete emerges, or whether this becomes another chapter in the long book of almost-deals, will depend on whether two of the world’s most unpredictable leaders can convert showmanship into signatures.

As the Florida sun climbed higher, a single Ukrainian flag fluttered beside the Stars and Stripes outside Mar-a-Lago—an image aides on both sides hope will travel the globe before sunset.