Zelenskiy Says ‘Tough Issues’ Remain After Florida Talks

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krainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday that “tough issues” remain unresolved after intensive U.S.–Ukraine talks in Florida, as Kyiv launched a new round of high-level diplomacy across Europe and a top envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump headed to Moscow to brief the Kremlin.

The remarks came amid fast-moving diplomatic activity aimed at reshaping the U.S. peace proposal for ending nearly four years of full-scale war with Russia.

The recent meetings in Florida, hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Trump envoy Steve Witkoff’s Shell Bay resort in Florida, marked Washington’s most serious push yet to accelerate negotiations. However, the initial American proposal has drawn significant concerns in Kyiv and among European allies.

The original plan reportedly endorsed key Russian demands—including that Ukraine give up additional territory, limit its military forces, renounce its bid to join NATO, and bar Western troops from its soil. Ukrainian officials have said such terms would amount to “capitulation,” leaving the country vulnerable to future Russian aggression.

“There are some tough issues that still have to be worked through,” Zelenskiy wrote on X, adding that Ukraine faces a “very substantive day” of talks with European leaders following the Florida negotiations.

Zelenskiy met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday, receiving a public show of support as both sides emphasized efforts to narrow the gaps with Washington.

“The work for peace continues,” Macron said in a post alongside a photo of the two leaders at the Elysee Palace. Zelenskiy is expected to travel to Ireland next, while Ukraine’s defense minister arrived in Brussels for meetings with NATO officials.

Rubio: ‘We’ve made progress’

Rubio, speaking after the Florida talks, described the discussions as constructive but incomplete.

“We’re realistic about how difficult this is, but optimistic… We’ve made progress,” he said, noting that further steps would depend on the outcome of Witkoff’s visit to Moscow.

Witkoff is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to convey the results of the Florida negotiations.

The diplomatic push comes at a difficult moment for Kyiv. Ukrainian forces have been slowly losing ground along the 1,200-km front line, while a major corruption scandal has shaken the government.

Zelenskiy’s chief of staff—who also led the Ukrainian delegation in the peace talks—resigned on Friday after anti-corruption investigators searched his home. Two ministers have been dismissed, and a former business partner of the president has been named as a suspect.

Trump, who campaigned on ending the war rapidly, voiced frustration over the lack of an agreement. “Ukraine’s got some difficult little problems,” he told reporters on Air Force One, referring to the corruption scandal. Still, he insisted that both Kyiv and Moscow want to end the conflict. “There’s a good chance a deal could be reached,” he said.

Russia advances on frontline, intensifies strikes

Moscow has shown no sign of softening its demands. Russian forces continue to make incremental advances in eastern Ukraine and claimed Monday to have captured the settlement of Klynove in the Donetsk region—part of an offensive aimed at seizing Pokrovsk, which would be Russia’s biggest territorial gain in nearly two years. Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield situation.

Overnight, at least four people were killed and 22 injured in a Russian strike on the city of Dnipro, Ukrainian officials said.

Russia has stepped up long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, frequently targeting energy infrastructure and plunging residents into darkness as winter sets in.

Ukraine has also intensified its own long-range campaign, striking Russia’s oil infrastructure. On Monday, the Kremlin condemned Ukrainian attacks on the Yuzhny oil-exporting terminal and two tankers in the Black Sea.

Ukraine’s diplomatic outreach across Europe is set to continue throughout the week as Kyiv presses allies to help reshape the U.S. plan before any formal response is delivered.

(Source: Reuters)