Trump has "very productive" call with Putin before Zelenskyy meeting

The U.S. president disclosed his conversation with Putin on his social media platform Truth Social.

"I just had a good and very productive telephone call with President Putin of Russia prior to my meeting, at 1:00 P.M. today, with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine," Trump noted.

The American leader did not elaborate on what specifically made his communication with Putin "productive."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, for his part, confirmed that such a conversation did indeed take place. He also did not disclose any details. 

What Putin says about Trump's plan (Witkoff-Dmitriev)

On December 27, Putin donned military uniform and listened to statements from his military officials about the alleged capture of the Ukrainian cities of Huliaipole and Myrnohrad. Ukrainian command assessed these reports to the dictator as fake. At the same time, the Russian leader once again stated that the "special military operation" he initiated is still "going according to plan," and—effectively a day before Zelenskyy's meeting with Trump in Florida—commented for the first time on the proposals presented to Ukraine:

"In the West, too, sensible people have emerged who recommend that the Kyiv authorities accept dignified terms for ending the conflict, providing good baseline conditions for ensuring Ukraine's security for the long-term historical perspective, conditions for restoring relations with the Russian Federation, and rebuilding Ukraine's economy."