Donald Trump has claimed a deal to end the war in Ukraine is “closer than ever” after a two-hour meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida on Sunday, though he acknowledged that “thorny” issues over territory remain unresolved. The US president said a draft agreement was nearly “95% done” and that both sides wanted peace.
Speaking alongside Zelenskyy, Trump expressed sympathy with Russia’s reluctance to agree to a ceasefire, saying “you have to understand the other side”. He also offered to travel to Kyiv to address Ukraine’s parliament ahead of a possible vote on a peace plan, though he said this would probably not be necessary. Zelenskyy thanked Trump and praised his negotiating team.
Despite the positive rhetoric, there were few signs of an imminent breakthrough. Trump gave a confused answer when asked about the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, and the Kremlin indicated it had not dropped its maximalist demands. Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Trump had “listened carefully” to Russia’s assessment and that both sides agreed a ceasefire would only prolong the fighting.
Zelenskyy said US and Ukrainian negotiators had agreed “90%” of a draft peace plan, but fundamental problems remain, including security guarantees for Ukraine. Trump has made no military commitment to defend Ukraine, and the original US plan presented in November reportedly demanded Ukraine’s capitulation.
The meeting came just hours after Trump held a lengthy phone call with Vladimir Putin, which he described as “good and very productive”. However, a former Ukrainian diplomat accused Putin of trying to “sabotage things” by calling Trump before he saw Zelenskyy. Ukraine’s capital was hit by a large-scale Russian air attack on Saturday, which Zelenskyy called “Russia’s answer to our peace efforts”.
