U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy were edging closer to a deal to end the war in Ukraine, though he acknowledged that the future of the Donbas region remains the main unresolved obstacle.
Speaking at a joint news conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, both leaders said progress had been made on two of the most sensitive elements of the talks: security guarantees for Ukraine and the question of control over eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, which Russia has sought to seize. Neither side offered specific details or set a timeline, although Trump said it should become clear “in a few weeks” whether negotiations would succeed, noting that several “thorny” territorial issues still need to be settled.
Zelenskiy said agreement had been reached on security guarantees for Ukraine, while Trump struck a more cautious tone, saying talks were about 95% complete. He added that European countries were expected to take on a significant role in providing guarantees, with support from the United States.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a post on X that progress had been made on security guarantees and announced that members of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” would meet in Paris in early January to finalise their concrete commitments.
Zelenskiy has previously said he hopes to soften a U.S. proposal that would require Ukrainian forces to fully withdraw from Donbas, a condition sought by Russia that would involve relinquishing territory currently held by Kyiv. Moscow is demanding full control of Donbas, while Ukraine wants current front lines to be frozen.
Both leaders confirmed that the Donbas issue remains unsettled, although Trump said talks were moving “in the right direction.” The United States has floated the idea of creating a free economic zone if Ukraine leaves the area, though how such a zone would operate remains unclear.
“It’s not resolved, but it’s getting much closer. That’s a very difficult issue,” Trump said.
Details on post-war security arrangements for Ukraine were also scarce. Zelenskiy described security guarantees as the cornerstone of a lasting peace, while Russia has insisted that any deployment of foreign troops in Ukraine would be unacceptable.
Zelenskiy said any peace deal would require approval by Ukraine’s parliament or a national referendum. Trump said he would be prepared to address parliament if that helped secure the agreement.
Trump-Putin call
Ahead of Zelenskiy’s arrival in Florida, Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Trump described as “productive” and the Kremlin characterised as “friendly.” Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said Putin told Trump that a 60-day ceasefire proposed by the EU and Ukraine would only prolong the conflict and urged Ukraine to make a prompt decision on Donbas.
Trump said the call with Putin lasted more than two hours and claimed the Russian leader had pledged to help rebuild Ukraine, including through the supply of low-cost energy. “Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed,” Trump said, drawing a brief smile from Zelenskiy.
Trump said he planned to speak with Putin again following his meeting with Zelenskiy. The Kremlin later voiced support for Trump’s diplomatic efforts, with Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev praising the U.S. president’s peace initiative in a post on X.
Nuclear plant and battlefield developments
U.S. negotiators have also proposed shared oversight of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said power line repairs have begun following another local ceasefire. Trump said progress had been made on determining the plant’s future and described it as significant that Russia had refrained from striking the facility.
Russia currently controls all of Crimea, annexed in 2014, and about 12% of Ukrainian territory following nearly four years of war, including most of Donbas and large parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, according to Russian estimates.
Zelenskiy arrived in Florida a day after Russian forces launched hundreds of missiles and drones at Kyiv and other regions, knocking out power and heating in parts of the capital. He has described the strikes as Moscow’s response to U.S.-led peace efforts, though Trump said he believed both Putin and Zelenskiy were genuinely seeking peace.
European leaders joined parts of Sunday’s talks by phone. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe was ready to continue working with Ukraine and the United States, stressing that strong security guarantees would be essential. A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said European leaders reiterated the need for robust guarantees and emphasised the urgency of ending the war as soon as possible.
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