Florida [US], December 29 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Sunday said a peace agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine war is “very close” following a high-level meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Trump said significant progress had been made and described the discussions as productive and wide-ranging.
“We had a terrific meeting. We discussed a lot of things. As you know, I had an excellent phone call with President Putin. It lasted for over two hours. We discussed many points. I do think we’re getting a lot closer, maybe very close,” Trump said. “The President and I also spoke to the European leaders. We have made a lot of progress on ending that war, which is probably the deadliest war since World War II.”
Trump said he believes a peace agreement is close but acknowledged that a few “thorny” issues remain unresolved. He described one of the most sensitive issues as being linked to territory in eastern Ukraine.
When asked about the unresolved matters, Trump said, “The land. Some of that land has been taken. You’re better off making a deal now.” He declined to provide an exact estimate of how much of the agreement has been finalized, but said discussions were nearing completion.
He also acknowledged that the fate of the eastern Donbas region, which Russia has demanded Ukraine surrender, remains a major sticking point. “We’re getting closer to an agreement on that, and that’s a big issue,” Trump said while appearing alongside Zelenskyy. “Certainly, that’s one of the big issues, and I think we’re closer.”
Trump said ending the war was a top priority for him, emphasizing the human cost of the conflict. “Everybody wants it ended. I want it ended because I don’t want to see so many people dying,” he said.
Zelenskyy said the talks with Trump covered all major aspects of a potential peace settlement. “We had great discussions on all the topics, and we appreciate the progress that the American and Ukrainian teams have made in recent weeks. We discussed all aspects of the peace framework,” he said.
He said there has already been significant convergence between the two sides on several fronts. “There has been 90 percent agreement on the 20-point peace plan, 100 percent agreement on US-Ukraine security guarantees, and US-Europe-Ukraine security guarantees are almost agreed. The military dimension is 100 percent agreed. The Prosperity Plan is being finalized, and we also discussed the sequencing of the following actions,” Zelenskyy said.
“We agreed that security guarantees are a key milestone in achieving lasting peace, and our teams will continue working on all aspects. Ukraine is ready for peace,” he added.
Trump said discussions with Russia, Ukraine, and European leaders would continue in the coming days as negotiators work to resolve the remaining issues and move toward a final agreement.
Trump hosted a formal dinner for Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago resort, attended by officials from both the Ukrainian government and the Trump administration. Both leaders also held talks with European Union leaders during the meeting.
The leaders participated in a call lasting over an hour, during which they discussed “concrete steps” to end the war, Finnish President Alexander Stubb wrote in a post on X. Participants included the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Norway, as well as the NATO secretary general and the president of the European Commission.
“We are all working toward a just and lasting peace,” Stubb said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later said there had been positive movement. “There was good progress, which we welcomed,” she wrote on X. “Europe is ready to keep working with Ukraine and our US partners to consolidate this progress. Paramount to this effort is having ironclad security guarantees from day one.”
Zelenskyy arrived in Florida on Sunday with his 20-point peace plan aimed at ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. The visit came shortly after a massive Russian attack that killed two people. Even on the day of the meeting, CNN reported that in the eastern city of Sloviansk, bombing killed at least one person and injured several others.
Before meeting Zelenskyy, Trump held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he later described as “very productive.” The Kremlin also characterized the call as friendly, well-wishing, and businesslike.
Both Russian and US leaders agreed that a temporary ceasefire, as proposed by Ukraine and its European backers, “would only prolong the conflict and risk a resumption of hostilities,” according to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov.
Trump is expected to hold another phone call with Putin, whose approval would be required for any potential peace agreement.
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