Trump says Russia wants Ukraine to succeed

After concluding the meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the leaders of Ukraine and the United States addressed the press. Responding to a question, US President Donald Trump said that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin was being "generous" in expressing a desire for Ukraine’s success, including through the sale of energy at low prices.

"They're going to be helping. Russia's going to be helping. Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed once. It sounds a little strange, but I was explaining to the president that President Putin was very generous in his feelings toward Ukraine succeeding, including supplying energy, electricity, and other things at very low prices," Trump said.

Trump–Zelenskyy meeting

On December 28, the presidents of Ukraine and the United States, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump, held talks in Florida, with the US leader hosting negotiations on the peace plan at his Mar-a-Lago residence.

After the talks, both leaders addressed the press and made a series of statements. In particular, Trump said the following about Russia:

• Russia is seeking to seize additional territory, making it necessary to move quickly toward an agreement.

• The US working group on Ukraine will include Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and General Dan Caine to negotiate with Russia.

• It will become clear within several weeks whether the peace plan works.

• The issue of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was discussed at length; Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin wants the plant brought back into operation, and described it as a major concession that Russia is not bombing the facility.

• Putin opposed a ceasefire to hold a referendum, arguing that ceasefires are easily violated.

• A trilateral meeting involving Trump, Zelenskyy, and Putin could take place at an appropriate time.

More details on the outcomes of the talks and statements by both leaders are available in RBC-Ukraine’s full report.