Ukraine peace talks: What are the major issues remaining as Zelenskyy prepares to meet Trump?

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday for further talks aimed at ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian leader has said he and the US president will discuss several issues, including land and security guarantees.

Here, Sky News looks at the major issues they are likely to discuss as a 20-point peace framework and security guarantee deal appear to be close.

Ukraine war latest: Zelenskyy hoping for 'very constructive' talks

What can we expect from the talks?

Mr Zelenskyy has said the 20-point plan to be discussed "is about 90% ready" and that "a lot can be decided before the New Year".

He said security guarantees and an "economic agreement" will also be discussed, but he did not say "whether anything will be finalised by the end".

Ukraine will also raise "territorial issues", he added.

What security guarantees could be agreed?

Mr Zelenskyy has said he will prioritise discussing security guarantees for Ukraine, adding that these depend on Mr Trump and "what he is ready to give, when he is ready to give it, and for how long".

Earlier this week, he told Axios the US had offered a 15-year deal on security guarantees, subject to renewal, but Kyiv wanted a longer agreement with legally binding provisions to help guard against future Russian aggression.

Mr Trump has said the United States is the driving force behind the process and told Politico: "He doesn't have anything until I approve it. So we'll see what he's got."

Mr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine and the US had a "common vision" for co-operation on Ukraine's post-war recovery, which included the creation of several investment funds.

The US has committed to providing guarantees mirroring NATO's Article 5, which means an attack on Ukraine would trigger a collective military response from the US and its allies - but key details remain.

Why is territory a major sticking point?

Territorial issues remain a major sticking point in the negotiations.

Mr Zelenskyy has said he will discuss both Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the talks, but stressed Ukraine would never recognise any territory as Russian "under any circumstances".

Moscow has demanded Ukraine withdraw from parts of the eastern Donetsk region, which Russian troops have failed to occupy during almost four years of war, as it seeks to gain full control of the Donbas, which comprises the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

However, Kyiv has argued the fighting should be halted along the current frontlines.

Seeking a compromise, the US has proposed a free economic zone if Ukraine leaves parts of the Donetsk region - but the proposal gives no details on how such a zone would function.

Axios cited Mr Zelenskyy saying if he is not able to push the US to back Ukraine's "strong" position on the issue of land, he is willing to put the 20-point plan to a referendum - as long as Russia agrees to a 60-day ceasefire to allow Ukraine to prepare for and then hold the vote.

According to Russia's Kommersant newspaper, Mr Putin told some of Russia's top businessmen he might be open to swapping some territory controlled by Russian forces elsewhere in Ukraine, but he wanted the whole of the Donbas in exchange.

Nuclear power plant issue remains unresolved

Another unresolved issue is the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian control since early in the war.

Although almost all countries consider that the plant, Europe's largest, belongs to Ukraine, Moscow claims it is owned by Russia and a unit of Russia's state-owned Rosatom nuclear corporation runs it.

Mr Zelenskyy has said the US side has proposed joint trilateral operation of the plant between the US, Ukraine and Russia.

But he said the Ukrainian proposal envisages Ukrainian-American use of the plant, with the US determining how to use 50% of the energy produced.

Oleksandr Kharchenko, the director of the Energy Research Centre in Kyiv, said Moscow intends to use the plant to cover a significant energy deficit in Russia's south.

He said it would take Ukraine five to seven years to build the generating capacity to compensate for the loss of the plant.

What has Russia said?

Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed Moscow can see Kyiv is in no hurry to end the conflict by peaceful means, according to the Interfax news agency.

Mr Putin said if Ukraine does not want to resolve the conflict peacefully, then Russia will accomplish all goals of its "special military operation" by force, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

It came after Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine overnight, which Mr Zelenskyy said demonstrated Moscow wanted to continue the war while Kyiv wanted peace.

Mr Trump has said he believes the meeting on Sunday will go well, and he also expects to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin "soon, as much as I want".

(c) Sky News 2025: Ukraine peace talks: What are the major issues remaining as Zelenskyy prepares to meet Trump?