Trump says US and Ukraine ‘a lot closer’ on peace deal but ‘thorny issues’ remain

PALM BEACH, Florida: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday (Dec 28) that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were “getting a lot closer, maybe very close” to an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, ⁠while acknowledging that the fate of the disputed Donbas region remains a key unresolved issue.

The two leaders spoke at a joint news conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Sunday afternoon. Both leaders reported progress on two of the most contentious issues in peace talks – security guarantees for Ukraine and the division of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region that Russia has sought to capture.

Both Trump and Zelenskyy offered few details and did not provide a deadline for completing a peace deal, although Trump said it will be clear “in a few weeks” whether negotiations to end the war will succeed. He said a few “thorny issues” around territory must be resolved.

Zelenskyy said an agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine has been reached. Trump was slightly more cautious, saying that they were 95 per cent of the way to such an agreement, and that he expected European countries to “take over a big part” of that effort with US backing.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in an X post published after Trump met with Zelenskyy, said progress was made on security guarantees. Macron said countries in the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” would meet in Paris in early January to finalise their “concrete contributions”.

Zelenskyy has said previously that he hopes to soften a US proposal for Ukrainian forces to withdraw completely from Donbas, a Russian demand ⁠that would mean ceding some territory held by Ukrainian forces. While Moscow insists on getting all of Donbas, Kyiv wants the map frozen at current battle lines.

Both Trump and Zelenskyy said on Sunday the future of the Donbas had not been settled, though the US president said discussions are “moving in the right direction”. The United States, seeking a compromise, has proposed a free economic zone if Ukraine leaves the area, although it remains unclear how that zone would function in practical terms.

“It’s unresolved, but it’s getting a lot closer. That’s a very tough issue,” Trump said.

Nor did the leaders offer much insight into what agreements they had reached on providing security for Ukraine after the war ends, something Zelenskyy described Sunday as “the key milestone in achieving a lasting peace.”

Russia has said any foreign troop deployment in Ukraine is unacceptable.

Zelenskyy said any peace agreement would have to be approved by Ukraine’s parliament, or by a referendum. Trump said he would be willing to speak to parliament if that would secure the deal.

TRUMP AND PUTIN SPEAK BEFORE ZELENSKYY MEETING

Shortly before Zelenskyy and his delegation arrived at Trump’s Florida residence, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke in a call described as “productive” by the US president and “friendly” by Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov.

Ushakov, in Moscow, said Putin told Trump a 60-day ceasefire proposed by ‌the European Union and Ukraine would prolong the war. The Kremlin aide also said Ukraine needs to make a decision regarding the Donbas “without further delay.”

Trump said he and Putin spoke for more than two hours. He said the Russian president pledged to help rebuild Ukraine, including by supplying cheap energy. “Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed,” Trump said. “It sounds a little strange.”

As ‌Trump praised Putin, Zelenskyy tilted his head and smiled.

Trump said he would call Putin again following the meeting with Zelenskyy.

The Kremlin expressed support for Trump’s negotiations.

“The whole world appreciates President Trump and his team’s peace efforts,” Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s special envoy, posted on X early on Monday after Trump’s talks with Zelenskyy.