United States President Donald Trump says efforts to end Russia’s war with Ukraine are closer to success than ever before, although disagreements over territorial control remain unresolved.
Trump spoke on Sunday after fresh engagements with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as part of intensified end-of-year diplomacy aimed at halting the nearly four-year conflict.
According to Trump, the coming weeks will determine whether a comprehensive peace agreement can be finalised.
“I really believe we are far closer than ever before with both sides,” Trump said while speaking alongside Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. “Everybody wants it ended.”
The US president acknowledged that the issue of territory remains the biggest obstacle. A revised peace framework under discussion would freeze the conflict along current frontlines in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region and establish a demilitarised zone.
Moscow, however, has continued to press for territorial concessions.
“It’s unresolved, but it’s getting a lot closer,” Trump said. “That’s a very tough issue, but one that I think will get resolved.”
Zelensky, who described the peace plan as “about 90 to 95 per cent complete,” has shown increased openness to the US-led framework, marking Kyiv’s clearest signal yet that territorial compromises could be considered — subject to approval through a national referendum.
Despite ongoing talks, Russia launched fresh attacks on Kyiv shortly before Zelensky’s meeting with Trump, targeting residential areas of the Ukrainian capital.
Trump said he had also spoken with Putin by telephone and insisted the Russian leader was serious about ending the war, despite continued military pressure.
“President Putin wants to see Ukraine succeed,” Trump claimed, adding that Putin had expressed “very generous feelings” toward Ukraine’s future.
Zelensky, however, remained cautious during the talks, mindful of strained relations with Washington earlier in the year that briefly disrupted US military and financial support.
Following their meeting, Trump and Zelensky held a joint call with key European leaders, many of whom have expressed concern that any settlement must not reward Russian aggression. Zelensky said further talks involving European partners could take place in Washington in January.
French President Emmanuel Macron also announced plans to convene a meeting of Ukraine’s allies in Paris early next year.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Moscow continues to oppose a temporary ceasefire, warning it could prolong the conflict.
Russian officials called on Ukraine to withdraw troops from the Donbas region, while blaming European leaders for slowing progress.
Trump’s advisers have floated the possibility of NATO-style security guarantees for Ukraine, though Russia has firmly rejected any move toward NATO membership for Kyiv.
Despite lingering differences, Trump said momentum toward peace is stronger than at any previous point in the war.
“We’ll know very soon whether this can be done,” he said.
