Florida, Dec 29 (UNI) US President Donald Trump said negotiations to end the war in Ukraine are edging closer to a breakthrough following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, while cautioning that several “thorny issues” remain unresolved.
“We’re getting closer,” Trump told reporters after the meeting, but stressed that the talks remain complex. “There are one or two very thorny issues. Unexpected things can come up and break it up. This is not an easy negotiation.”
Trump declined to provide a firm timeline for a peace deal, saying, “In a few weeks, we’ll know one way or the other.”
The meeting, which lasted about three hours, focused on a 20-point peace framework proposed by Zelensky. Both leaders said progress had been made but acknowledged that more work is needed to end the nearly four-year conflict triggered by Russia’s invasion.
“Our meeting was excellent,” Trump said. “Somebody would say 95 percent, I don’t know what percent…but we have made a lot of progress on ending that war.”
Zelensky said negotiators had agreed on about 90 pc of the peace framework, including full alignment on security guarantees. “We discussed all the aspects of the peace framework,” he said. “The 20-point peace plan is 90 percent agreed.”
US and Ukrainian teams could meet again as early as next week to finalise remaining elements of the plan. Zelensky said Trump had also agreed to host Ukrainian and European leaders in Washington in January. “We agreed to meet in the upcoming weeks to finalise all discussed matters,” he said.
Any peace agreement would require the consent of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump said he spoke with Putin by phone for more than an hour earlier in the day and expects to hold another call soon. “We’ll be speaking again,” Trump said.
Key sticking points include territorial issues, particularly in eastern Ukraine, and the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Asked about unresolved issues, Trump said land remains the most difficult factor. “The land is a big issue,” he said. “Some of that land has been taken, and you’re better off making a deal now.”
Zelensky reiterated Ukraine’s position on territory, saying, “We respect the territory which we control, and our attitude is very clear. Any decision has to be made by our people.”
The diplomatic talks comes amid intensified fighting, with Russia launching its longest sustained assault on Kyiv this year, killing at least two people, injuring dozens and leaving parts of the capital without heating amid freezing temperatures.
Despite unresolved differences, Trump praised Zelensky, saying, “I think this is the right moment. Either the war ends, or it goes on for a long time.”
When asked about “the thorniest issues still unresolved” by a reporter during the press conference, Trump responded that land was a notable one.
“I think the land, you’re talking about, some of that land has been taken. Some of that land is maybe up for grabs, but it may be taken over the next period of a number of months, and you’re better off making a deal now,” Trump said in his answer.
In a post after the meeting, Zelensky thanked Trump and the United States for their support. “Together, we must, and can, implement our vision for the sequencing of steps toward peace,” he wrote.
