Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy say they have made “a lot of progress” towards finalising a peace agreement to end Russia’s war in Ukraine – although “one or two very thorny issues” remain.
At a news conference following around two hours of talks at Mr Trump‘s residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, the two leaders hailed an “excellent” meeting during which they discussed “all aspects” of a 20-point peace framework.
The US president said the outcome of the talks would be known in a few weeks, saying Ukraine is “a lot closer” to a deal and that the pair had “made a lot of progress on ending that war”.
Russia “wants to see Ukraine succeed”, he maintained at the news conference, during which he repeatedly praised the Ukrainian leader as “brave”.
Mr Zelenskyy said the 20-point peace plan was “90% agreed”, with US-Ukraine security guarantees 100% agreed – although Mr Trump put the security agreements at 95%.
“We agreed that security guarantees are a key milestone in achieving lasting peace and our teams will continue working on all aspects,” Mr Zelenskyy said.
Opening the floor to questions from the media, which started with the issue of security, Mr Trump said: “I just think we’re doing very well. We could be very close or one or two very thorny issues, very tough issues. But I think we’re doing very well.
“We’ve made a lot of progress today, but really we’ve made it over the last month. This is not a one-day process deal. There’s very complicated stuff.”
Asked which thorny issues remain unsolved, Trump said the issue of some Ukrainian land.
The Donbas issue
Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants to take control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region as a condition for ending the war, despite not controlling the entire area. Ukraine has previously ruled out accepting this.
Speaking about the Donbas region, Mr Zelenskyy said he had to “respect our law and our people”, as well as the territory controlled by Ukraine.
“And of course, our attitude is very clear,” he said. “That’s why President Trump said this is a very tough question.”
Ukraine has “a different position to Russia” on the matter, he added.
Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy sat down with secretary of state Marco Rubio, Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and White House chief of staff Susan Wiles, and Ukrainian delegates, before the talks. Pic: Reuters
Mr Trump was also asked about Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which has been under Russian control since the war began in February 2022.
Mr Putin is “working with Ukraine on getting it open”, the US president said. “He’s been very good in that sense. He wants to see that open.”
“He hasn’t hit it with missiles,” Mr Trump added.
The US president, who spoke with Mr Putin earlier in the day, insisted the Russian leader is “very serious” about peace in Ukraine, despite Moscow launching attacks on Kyiv ahead of the talks.
The meeting in Florida was the latest stage in Mr Trump’s year-long effort to secure a ceasefire, after previously saying he would end the war on the first day of his term in office.
UK ‘committed to sustaining momentum’
Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy spoke with European leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, after their meeting. Pic: PA
Following the discussion, Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy spoke with European leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the UK prime minister was eager to sustain the momentum of the peace talks.
“The discussion focused on ongoing efforts to secure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, with leaders commending President Trump for the progress achieved so far,” a statement said.
“They underlined the importance of robust security guarantees and reaffirmed the urgency of ending this barbaric war as soon as possible.”
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The spokesperson said Sir Keir had emphasised the UK’s “commitment to working closely with partners to sustain momentum in the coming days – with President Trump highlighting his leadership in driving coordinated international support for Ukraine as talks continue”.
Earlier on Sunday, Mr Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said the Trump-Putin call before the talks had been “friendly, benevolent and businesslike”.
The US and Russian leaders were due to speak again “promptly” after Mr Trump’s meeting with Mr Zelenskyy.
Attacks over the weekend
Russia launched attacks on Ukraine over the weekend, despite the talks. This image shows a house destroyed in Kyiv on Saturday. Pic: AP/ Evgeniy Maloletka
Mr Ushakov said a “bold, responsible, political decision” would have to be made by Ukraine on the Donbas region and other matters in dispute for there to be a “complete cessation” of hostilities.
In overnight developments, three guided aerial bombs launched by Russia struck private homes in the eastern city of Sloviansk, according to the head of the local military administration, Vadym Lakh. Three people were injured and one man died, Mr Lakh said in a post on the Telegram messenger app.
