United States President, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky said substantial progress had been made toward ending the war in Ukraine during their talks in Florida, though the US president noted that “one or two very thorny issues” remain unresolved.
Both leaders described the meeting at Mar-a-Lago as “great,” with Trump highlighting that a central point of contention continues to be the question of territory. Russia has previously demanded that Ukraine cede additional land.
Zelensky told reporters that the two sides had reached agreement on “90%” of a 20-point peace plan, while Trump said security guarantees for Ukraine were “close to 95% done.”
He added that further discussions are planned next week between US and Ukrainian teams to address remaining issues.
“We had a substantive conversation on all issues and highly value the progress that the Ukrainian and American teams have made over the past weeks,” Zelensky said in a statement on Telegram.
The conflict began in February 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including roughly 75% of Donetsk and nearly all of Luhansk in the Donbas region.
Trump noted that a proposal to turn the Donbas into a demilitarized zone remains unresolved. “Some of that land has been taken,” he said. “Some of that land is maybe up for grabs, but it may be taken over the next period of a number of months.”
Russia is pressing for Ukraine to withdraw from areas it still controls in Donbas, while Kyiv has proposed transforming the region into a free economic zone policed by Ukrainian forces.
Security guarantees for Ukraine are “95% done,” Trump said, without providing specifics on potential logistical or troop support. He also suggested the possibility of trilateral talks involving the US, Russia, and Ukraine “at the right time,” though he cautioned that talks could stall, leaving the conflict unresolved.
Earlier, Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. While he did not share many details, he said he believed Putin “wants Ukraine to succeed” but acknowledged Moscow is not interested in a ceasefire that would allow Ukraine to hold a referendum.
Russian foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed the call and said Trump received Russia’s perspective on EU and Ukraine proposals, with both leaders agreeing that a temporary ceasefire could prolong the war.
Zelensky indicated that Ukrainian officials may meet in January at the White House, potentially with European leaders, to continue negotiations.
European allies also reacted positively to the Florida discussions. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the “good progress” while stressing the need for “ironclad security guarantees from day one.”
French President, Emmanuel Macron, said Kyiv’s allies would meet in Paris next month to finalize concrete contributions.
“We will bring together the countries of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris in early January to finalise each one’s concrete contributions,” he tweeted after speaking with Zelensky and Trump.
