President Donald Trump said a peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war is “very close” to being reached following his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday.
Trump met with Zelensky for the first time since October at his resort in Palm Beach, Florida, as the peace talks were at their highest level in months. Both appeared at a press conference following the over three-hour meeting, where Trump praised the progress made, suggesting that “95%” of the peace deal is complete.
“We could be very close [to a deal]. There are one or two very thorny issues, very tough issues. But I think we’re doing very well. We made a lot of progress today,” Trump told reporters on Sunday.
Those issues that still need to be hashed out include security guarantees for Ukraine and potential land swaps.
Zelensky said U.S.-Ukraine security guarantees were “100%” agreed to, while security guarantees involving Europe as well were “almost” there. He also said an agreement on the “military dimension” was reached, but the economic plan for Ukraine is still “being finalized.”
Regarding any land swaps, Trump told Zelensky, “You’re better off making a deal now,” citing continued fighting in contested areas. But Zelensky reiterated his desire for a national referendum on the issue, saying “it’s their land, the land, not of one person.”
The two presidents also spoke to European leaders over the phone after their bilateral meeting, after which many of them commended the progress made.
Despite the headway on the peace plan, Trump stressed that a deal, while close to coming to fruition, is still “a few weeks” off. He later pitched a visit and speech to Ukraine’s parliament if that would help push it over the line, to which Zelensky was receptive.
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Crucially, Russia’s input is still needed. Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone before his meeting with Zelensky, a conversation that Trump said was “good and very productive.” He is expected to call him again on Sunday night.
The coming weeks will see negotiations continue to play out. In a statement after the Mar-a-Lago meeting, Zelensky said U.S. and Ukrainian delegations will finalize the issues discussed sometime next week, while Trump will host Ukrainian and European leaders at the White House in January.
