Trump: Following meetings in Florida and Zelensky said a peace accord with Ukraine is “very close.”
Trump: Following what he called a “terrific meeting” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, US President Donald Trump said that peace talks to end the conflict in Ukraine were “very close.”
“We’ve performed well. The two sides have “made a lot of progress on ending that war,” Trump said reporters during the meeting, adding, “We’ve had discussions on just about every subject.”
Following their bilateral talks, Trump and Zelensky also called with a number of European leaders, characterizing the outreach as appropriate considering the stakes. He named NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and leaders from France, Finland, Poland, Norway, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
Trump said, “We felt it was appropriate to speak with them.” “We had a great meeting.”
Negotiations have addressed the vast majority of problems needed to end the war, according to the US president. 95 percent, according to one person. Although there were still “one or two very thorny issues, very tough issues,” he said, “I don’t know what percent, but we have made a lot of progress.”
Zelensky praised Trump and key members of his team, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, for what he called “sustained engagement” in the negotiations, noting that they covered every facet of the settlement framework.
Zelensky said that there had been “great achievements” in a number of areas and that “we discussed all the aspects of the peace framework.”
He called security assurances crucial to bringing the crisis to a closure and claimed the two parties were almost at an agreement on them. According to Zelensky, “we agreed that security guarantees are a key milestone in achieving lasting peace.”
Zelensky said that a prosperity plan was being finished, military aspects of the plan were “100% agreed,” and security assurances between the US and Ukraine were “almost agreed.”
Trump acknowledged the enthusiasm but warned that there were still complicated unresolved territorial concerns. When questioned about agreements pertaining to the Donbas area, he said, “The word agreed is too strong.” However, we’re coming closer to reaching a consensus on that.
Russia’s stance on Donbas, according to Trump, was well known. He said, “That’s what they’ve been asking for,” and that the problem would need to be “ironed out.”
According to Zelensky, Ukraine’s stance is still based on the law and popular approval. “We must respect our law and our people,” he said, adding that any contentious clauses could need to be approved by parliament or put to a vote. He said, “It is the land of our nation.”
According to Trump, the Ukrainian people overwhelmingly supported ending the conflict. According to a survey, 91% of people are in favor of stopping the war, he stated. “They want it to end like everyone else wants it to.”
Working groups will continue on discussions in the next weeks, according to the leaders. According to Trump, the US delegation would interact directly with Russia and include high-ranking officials. He said, “Because working with ourselves doesn’t really solve much of a problem.”
Zelensky said that Trump has consented to have a future gathering with European leaders, perhaps in Washington.
When questioned about a deadline, Trump said, “Just a few weeks, if it went really well.” And longer if things didn’t work out. Additionally, it won’t happen if it goes extremely badly.
In February 2022, the conflict in Ukraine began. Since then, it has grown to be the biggest land war in Europe since World War II, causing extensive devastation and the forced relocation of many civilians. Since the invasion, Ukraine has received substantial military, financial, and humanitarian assistance from the US and its European allies.
Because territorial issues, security assurances, and enforcement procedures have caused all prior diplomatic attempts to end the conflict to routinely stall, governments and markets alike are keenly monitoring the most recent round of negotiations.