Zelenskyy to meet with Trump as efforts to end Russia-Ukraine war remain elusive

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) — President Donald Trump will host his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Sunday to try to close out a peace agreement that would end nearly four years of war that began with Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The two will meet at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s private club in Palm Beach, Florida, where the U.S. president is spending the holidays and has an agenda mostly filled with daily rounds of golf. Zelenskyy said the two planned to discuss security and economic agreements and he will raise “territorial issues” as Moscow and Kyiv remain fiercely at odds over the fate of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

In the days before the meeting, Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine's capital, using missiles and drones to attack Kyiv and try to increase the pressure on Zelenskyy.

“Ukraine is willing to do whatever it takes to stop this war,” Zelenskyy posted Saturday on X. “We need to be strong at the negotiating table.”

In response to the attacks, he wrote: “We want peace, and Russia demonstrates a desire to continue the war. If the whole world — Europe and America — is on our side, together we will stop" Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Saturday, Zelenskyy said the key to peace is “pressure on Russia and sufficient, strong support for Ukraine.” To that end, Carney announced $2.5 billion Canadian (US$1.8 billion) more in economic assistance from his government to help Ukraine rebuild.

Denouncing the “barbarism” of Russia’s latest attacks on Kyiv, Carney credited both Zelenskyy and Trump with creating the conditions for a “just and lasting peace” at a crucial moment.

Trump and Zelenskyy sitting down face-to-face also underscored the apparent progress made by Trump’s top negotiators in recent weeks as the sides traded draft peace plans and continued to shape a proposal to end the fighting. Zelenskyy told reporters Friday that the 20-point draft proposal negotiators have discussed is “about 90% ready” — echoing a figure, and the optimism, that U.S. officials conveyed when Trump’s chief negotiators met with Zelenskyy in Berlin earlier this month.

During the recent talks, the U.S. agreed to offer certain security guarantees to Ukraine similar to those offered to other members of NATO. The proposal came as Zelenskyy said he was prepared to drop his country’s bid to join the security alliance if Ukraine received NATO-like protection that would be designed to safeguard it against future Russian attacks.

Zelenskyy also spoke on Christmas Day with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. The Ukrainian leader said in a post on X that they discussed “certain substantive details of the ongoing work” and cautioned in a subsequent post that “there is still work to be done on sensitive issues” and “the weeks ahead may also be intensive.”

The U.S. president has been working to end the war in Ukraine for much of his first year back in office, showing irritation with both Zelenskyy and Putin while publicly acknowledging the difficulty of ending the conflict. Long gone are the days when, as a candidate in 2024, he boasted that he could resolve the fighting in a day.

After hosting Zelenskyy at the White House in October, Trump demanded that both Russia and Ukraine halt fighting and “stop at the battle line,” implying that Moscow should be able to keep the territory it has seized from Ukraine.

Before Sunday’s meeting, Zelenskyy said the key issues that remain unresolved between Ukraine and the U.S. include questions surrounding territory, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and funding for Ukraine’s postwar recovery. He said there also are outstanding technical matters related to security guarantees and monitoring mechanisms.

Ukraine has conveyed its position to the U.S., Zelenskyy said, adding that Trump administration officials would relay that to Russia.

Zelenskyy also said last week that he would be willing to withdraw troops from Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end the war, if Russia also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarized zone monitored by international forces.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday that the Kremlin had already been in contact with U.S.

“It was agreed upon to continue the dialogue,” he said.

Putin has publicly said he wants all the areas in four key regions that have been captured by his forces, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014, to be recognized as Russian territory. He also has insisted that Ukraine withdraw from some areas in eastern Ukraine that Moscow’s forces haven’t captured. Kyiv has publicly rejected all those demands.

The Kremlin also wants Ukraine to abandon its bid to join NATO. It warned that it wouldn’t accept the deployment of any troops from members of the military alliance and would view them as a “legitimate target.”

Putin also has said Ukraine must limit the size of its army and give official status to the Russian language, demands he has made from the outset of the conflict.

Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told the business daily Kommersant this month that Russian police and national guard would stay in parts of Donetsk -– one of the two major areas, along with Luhansk, that make up the Donbas region — even if they become a demilitarized zone under a prospective peace plan.

Ushakov cautioned that trying to reach a compromise could take a long time. He said U.S. proposals that took into account Russian demands had been “worsened” by alterations proposed by Ukraine and its European allies.

Trump has been somewhat receptive to Putin’s demands, making the case that the Russian president can be persuaded to end the war if Kyiv agrees to cede Ukrainian land in the Donbas region and if Western powers offer economic incentives to bring Russia back into the global economy.

Kim reported from Washington and Morton from London. Associated Press writers Illia Novikov in Kyiv and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.

A psychologist of a rescue team helps en elderly woman at the hospice which was damaged after a Russian strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Rescuers put fragments of a body of the victim into a plastic bag after Russian drone hit a multi-storey apartment building during massive missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

President Donald Trump pumps his fist at Christmas Eve dinner at his Mar-a-Lago club, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hold a news conference in Halifax, N.S. on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025.(Riley Smith /The Canadian Press via AP)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a media conference at the EU Summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — With their backs against the wall, the Baltimore Ravens made sure they wouldn't underutilize Derrick Henry again.

The five-time Pro Bowl running back responded by delivering one of the greatest performances of his brilliant career to keep the Ravens' playoff hopes alive.

Henry rushed for a season-high 216 yards and matched a career high with four touchdown runs in the Ravens' 41-24 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night.

“It's one of the greatest performances I've ever seen,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said.

The Ravens (8-8) now must hope the Pittsburgh Steelers lose at Cleveland on Sunday. A Steelers victory in Cleveland would end Baltimore’s playoff hopes. If the Browns win that game, the Ravens could win the AFC North by beating the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Jan. 4.

“I'll be watching and praying, for sure,” Henry said. “I'm going to pray as soon as I get on the plane, when I get home, in the morning when I wake up. Hopefully we get blessed with the opportunity to play for something on Week 18.”

Green Bay (9-6-1) lost its third straight, enabling the Chicago Bears to clinch the NFC North title. The Packers already clinched a playoff berth on Thursday when the Detroit Lions lost 23-10 at Minnesota.

“That was a humbling night,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “Give Baltimore a ton of credit. They came in here and were in complete control the whole game."

Henry had three touchdown runs in the first half and scored again on a 25-yard run with 1:56 left in the game. His seventh career 200-yard rushing performance moved him ahead of Adrian Peterson and O.J. Simpson for the most in NFL history.

He increased his career rushing total to 12,892 yards to overtake Tony Dorsett for 10th place on the all-time list. Henry now has 122 career touchown runs to leapfrog Peterson and move into fourth place overall.

Henry's 36 carries represented a career high. That came a week after Henry didn’t touch the ball in Baltimore’s final two series as the Ravens blew an 11-point, fourth quarter lead in a 28-24 loss to New England that put their playoff hopes on life support.

“Whatever carries it was, it was going to be,” Henry said. “I just wanted to go out there and make something happen.”

Henry became the first player to have at least 200 yards rushing and four touchdown runs in a game since San Francisco's Raheem Mostert did it against the Packers in an NFC championship game on Jan. 19, 2020.

Both teams were missing their starting quarterbacks as Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson deals with a back injury while Green Bay’s Jordan Love is in concussion protocol. The two replacement starters — Baltimore’s Tyler Huntley and Green Bay’s Malik Willis — were both effective in a game that featured only one punt.

Willis went 18 of 21 for a career-high 288 yards and one touchdown, and he also rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns. Huntley was 16 of 20 for 107 yards with one touchdown.

The difference in the game was Green Bay’s inability to slow down Henry, who helped the Ravens outrush the Packers 307-79.

Henry’s dominance enabled the Ravens to score on their first five possessions and take a 27-14 halftime lead over Green Bay, which hadn’t allowed more than 24 points in 14 straight home games.

“That was very embarrassing, and that’s just not us at all,” Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper said.

Henry totaled 15 carries in Baltimore’s first two series and capped each of them with touchdown runs, from 3 yards and 1 yard away. He was the first player to have at least 15 carries in his team’s first two offensive series since Denver’s Olandis Gary against Green Bay in 1999.

He added another 3-yard touchdown with 10 seconds left in the second quarter.

“He’s one of one,” Ravens tight end Mark Andrews said. "To be able to have a guy like that that runs that hard and plays the way that he does, it’s a joy to be able to block for him.”

Green Bay got back into the game by outscoring Baltimore 10-0 in the third quarter.

After Brandon McManus kicked a 24-yard field goal, the Packers forced the first punt of the night. Willis then ran around right end for an 11-yard touchdown to make it 27-24 with 2:02 left in the third.

But the Ravens responded .

Henry ran for a 9-yard gain on third-and-5 from Baltimore’s 20. He closed the third quarter with a 30-yard burst up the right sideline. Those two plays set up Huntley’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Zay Flowers, which came on a third-and-8 play with 10:10 left.

“In those critical moments when we needed a stop, we didn't get it done,” LaFleur said.

Willis drove the Packers into Baltimore territory before hurting his shoulder and heading to the locker room. Clayton Tune took over, and his only pass was intercepted by Marlon Humphrey.

Henry added the knockout punch a few minutes later.

It was a painful night in every respect for the Packers.

Green Bay safety Zayne Anderson (ankle), defensive lineman Jordon Riley (Achilles) and cornerback Kamal Hadden (ankle) were carted into the locker room. Cornerback Nate Hobbs suffered a knee injury and receiver Dontayvion Wicks was evaluated for a concussion.

Right tackle Zach Tom (back/knee) and receiver Savion Williams (foot) joined Love in sitting out Saturday’s game.

Ravens: At Pittsburgh on Jan. 4.

Packers: At Minnesota on Jan. 4.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) scores a touchdown past Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine (24) during the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)

Green Bay Packers defensive end Kingsley Enagbare (55) celebrates after making a stop against Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs the ball past Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (56) during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) runs the ball against the Green Bay Packers during the second half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry (22) scores a touchdown past Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine (24) during the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)