Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed all 20 points of the Ukraine peace plan with Donald Trump during their call on 28 December, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed at an online press conference following the Mar-a-Lago summit.
The revelation carries weight. For weeks, Putin's Kremlin had attacked the proposal as corrupted by European meddling. Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told the Russian business daily Kommersant that US proposals had been "worsened" by alterations from Ukraine and its European allies. Now Putin has gone through it point by point.
"President Trump told me that he had a long conversation with Putin and went through all 20 points of the plan," Zelenskyy told reporters. "It is very important that we are all in the same context. And that they discussed this specific document, not some other documents."
Russia spent December rejecting Ukraine's 20-point peace plan
Russia spent December attacking the peace framework as fundamentally different from what it had discussed with Washington. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russian state TV on 26 December that the 20-point plan "differs radically from the 27 points that we have been working on with the US." He accused Ukraine and the EU of "undermining the negotiation process."
Putin himself told TASS after early December talks that some provisions in the US draft "we can't agree to." His Kremlin had publicly accused Kyiv's European allies of "trying to undermine the peace process with counterproposals."
That Putin now engaged with the complete 20-point document suggests either a tactical shift or a decision to address the text directly rather than dismiss it.
Zelenskyy warns Putin's words must match actions
The Ukrainian president offered measured thanks — and an immediate warning. "I told the President that for us, it is very important — not the first time that Putin says one thing and does another — that for us, it is crucial that words match actions," Zelenskyy said.
The gap between Russian rhetoric and Russian behavior has defined these negotiations. Hours before the Mar-a-Lago meeting, Russia launched over 500 drones and 40 missiles at Ukraine, primarily targeting energy and civilian infrastructure in Kyiv. Zelenskyy called Putin "a man of war" after the assault.
Trump, by contrast, continues to insist Putin is "very serious" about peace.
What Putin reviewing the peace plan means for Ukraine negotiations
Putin reviewing all 20 points does not mean Putin accepting any of them. The Kremlin has maintained maximalist demands:
- All of Donbas under Russian control
- Recognition of annexed territories including Crimea
- Restrictions on Ukraine's military size
- Permanent ban on Ukraine's NATO membership
What has changed is the mode of engagement. Rather than rejecting the document as a European corruption of earlier agreements, Moscow has now discussed it directly with Washington. Whether this represents genuine negotiating interest or simply a tactical recalibration remains unclear.
Zelenskyy set the test clearly: actions, not words. The next weeks will show whether Putin's point-by-point review leads to substantive concessions — or whether it was simply another performance.
