Western Solidarity Anchors Zelenskyy’s Mission to Florida: A United Front Ahead of the Trump Summit

As he touched down in Halifax, Canada, en route to Florida, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a powerful surge of diplomatic backing from European and Canadian leaders. This show of unity follows a massive Russian onslaught on Kyiv involving 519 drones and 40 missiles, which Zelenskyy characterized as definitive proof of Putin’s disinterest in peace. The strikes, which decimated energy infrastructure and left over one million households in darkness, underscore the precarious timing of the upcoming Mar-a-Lago summit with Donald Trump.

During a high-level video conference, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reaffirmed their "full support" for Ukraine, emphasizing that any "just and lasting peace" must be coordinated with the U.S. while preserving Ukraine’s territorial integrity—a sentiment echoed by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Meanwhile, the battlefield tells a grimmer story, with Russia claiming control over Myrnohrad and Hulyaypole, further complicating the diplomatic calculus.

The core of the Florida talks will revolve around Zelenskyy’s revised 20-point peace plan, which seeks to freeze frontlines while omitting previous Russian demands regarding NATO and the Donbas region. This revision has already drawn fire from Moscow, with Deputy FM Sergei Ryabkov accusing Kyiv of sabotaging talks. With Trump asserting that "Zelenskyy has nothing until I agree to it," the meeting is set to be a high-stakes encounter where the future of the four-year conflict hangs on Trump’s approval and his anticipated dialogue with Putin.