US and Ukrainian officials have been trying to narrow the gaps between them over Trump's plan to end Europe's deadliest and most devastating conflict since World War II, with Ukraine wary of being strong-armed into accepting a deal largely on Russian terms, including territorial concessions.
In a speech to what is known as the coalition of the willing allies, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, Zelenskiy urged European leaders to hash out a framework for deploying a "reassurance force" to Ukraine and to keep backing Kyiv for as long as Moscow showed no inclination to end its war.
"We firmly believe security decisions about Ukraine must include Ukraine, security decisions about Europe must include Europe ... Because when something is decided behind the back of a country or its people, there is always a high risk it simply won't work," Zelenskiy said, according to his speech text.
"That framework is on the table, and we're ready to move forward together - with the USA, with the personal engagement of President Trump," he added.
Trump has at times tried to accelerate negotiations by announcing deadlines, as he did last week when he said that he hoped for agreement by Thursday. But he softened that on Tuesday evening.
"The deadline for me is when it's over," he told reporters. "And I think everybody's tired of fighting."
He also encouraged reporters not to take the 28-point peace plan he unveiled last week as a firm blueprint.
"That was just a map," he said. "It was a concept." Negotiators were working through each of the points, whittling them down, he said.
A Ukrainian diplomat cautioned that territorial concessions remained a major sticking point, meaning a final deal was far from certain despite accords on various specific points. "These are really tough questions for us," the diplomat said.
Underlining the high stakes for Ukraine, its capital Kyiv was hit by a barrage of missiles and hundreds of drones overnight in a Russian attack that killed seven people and again disrupted power and heating systems. Residents were sheltering underground wearing winter jackets, some in tents.
Trump said at a White House event earlier on Tuesday he thought a deal on Ukraine was getting close, saying, "We're going to get there."
Zelenskiy could visit the US in the next few days to finalise a deal with Trump, Kyiv's national security chief Rustem Umerov said earlier on Tuesday, though there was no immediate confirmation of such a trip from the US side.
Kyiv's message hinted that an intense diplomatic push by the Trump administration could be yielding some fruit, but any optimism could be short-lived, as Russia stressed it would not let any deal stray too far from its own maximum objectives.
US and Ukrainian negotiators held talks on the latest US-backed peace plan in Geneva on Sunday. Driscoll then met on Monday and Tuesday with Russian officials in Abu Dhabi, a spokesperson for Driscoll said.
A Ukrainian official said Kyiv "supports the framework's essence, and some of the most sensitive issues remain as points for the discussion between presidents".
