Zelensky Vows to ‘Do Whatever It Takes’ to End War Ahead of Trump Mar-a-Lago Summit
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that he is prepared to make major concessions to secure peace with Russia, just hours before meeting with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
Zelensky said Ukraine “did not start this war” but is willing to end it by any means necessary. “Ukraine supported President Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire. Ukraine has agreed to many different compromises,” he posted to X. “Ukraine is willing to do whatever it takes to stop this war. For us, the priority is peace.”
The comments came after a week of brutal attacks from Russia, which launched more than 2,100 drone strikes, 800 guided aerial bombs, and 94 missiles against Ukrainian targets, including 500 drone and 400 missile strikes on Saturday alone. The onslaught left parts of Kyiv without power and injured at least 27 people.
The war, now entering its fourth year, has become one of the central foreign policy concerns for the Trump administration. Trump, who previously warned NATO countries to “step up or step aside,” has been pursuing a negotiated peace with Moscow and Kyiv since returning to office, and his team has held weeks of backchannel talks with Ukrainian officials.
A key breakthrough was the shift from a Russia-friendly 28-point draft proposal to a revised 20-point peace plan, which Zelensky said is now “90% finished.” Outstanding issues include the status of the Donbas region, control over the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, and long-term security guarantees for Ukraine.
Zelensky emphasized that the process cannot be derailed by Russian intransigence. “The key is that Russia must not sabotage this diplomacy and must take ending the war 100% seriously,” he said. “If it doesn’t, then additional pressure on Russia must follow. The world has all the instruments needed to make that pressure effective and ensure that peace is achieved.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, warned that Moscow will continue the war until Ukraine capitulates fully. “If Ukraine does not want to resolve everything peacefully, Russia will resolve all its objectives by military means,” he said Saturday.
The Kremlin has demanded Ukraine surrender its remaining positions in the Donbas region — something Zelensky’s government views as unacceptable, citing the strategic importance of those areas for national security.
Trump, speaking to The Post last week, expressed cautious optimism about the upcoming talks. “I think we have a good shot at it,” he said. “I think [Ukrainian officials] want to do it now, and I think that Russia wants to do it. But every time one wants to do it, the other doesn’t.”
The Trump-Zelensky meeting at Mar-a-Lago will be their second in-person encounter since October, and officials close to the matter say they are aiming to finalize the terms of a peace framework that could end Europe’s deadliest conflict in a generation.