Zelenskyy to seek security guarantees from Trump as he heads to talks in Florida

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is en route to the U.S. via Canada ahead of a weekend of high-stakes diplomacy and a renewed push for peace amid deadly Russian bombing on Ukraine’s capital

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is en route to the U.S. via Canada ahead of a weekend of high-stakes diplomacy and a renewed push for peace amid deadly Russian bombing on Ukraine’s capital.

Zelenskyy is set to meet with President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday, after a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and phone calls with European leaders Saturday.

As Trump ups pressure to bring the war to an end, Zelenskyy said that the critical issue of U.S.-backed security guarantees for Ukraine, to prevent a further Russian incursion, would hinge on the U.S. president.

“For us, it is very important that there is a signal that we want legally binding security guarantees,” Zelenskyy told Ukrainian journalists in a Q&A session via WhatsApp on Saturday. “This primarily depends on President Trump. The question is what security guarantees President Trump is ready to provide to Ukraine.”

If Russia “turns even the Christmas and New Year period into a time of destroyed homes and burned apartments, of ruined power plants, then this sick activity can only be responded to with truly strong steps,” he posted on X earlier as he embarked on the trip. “The United States has this capability. Europe has this capability.”