Trump, Zelensky ‘Getting Closer’ to Peace Agreement but Key Issues Remain Unresolved

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy were “getting a lot closer, maybe very close” to a peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine, while acknowledging that the fate of the Donbas region remains a critical unresolved issue.

The two leaders spoke at a joint news conference following their meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Both reported progress on two contentious aspects of peace talks: security guarantees for Ukraine and the disputed division of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, which Russia seeks to capture.

Neither leader provided specific details or a timeline for completing a peace deal, although Trump said it would be clear “in a few weeks” whether negotiations would succeed. He described a few “thorny issues” around territory that still need resolution.

Zelenskiy confirmed that an agreement on security guarantees had been reached. Trump, however, was slightly more cautious, saying they were “95% of the way” to such an agreement and expected European countries to “take over a big part” of the effort with U.S. support.

French President Emmanuel Macron noted that progress was made on security guarantees and said that the Coalition of the Willing would meet in Paris in early January to finalize contributions.

The leaders also discussed the future of Donbas, which remains unsettled. Trump said, “It’s unresolved, but it’s getting a lot closer. That’s a very tough issue.” A U.S. proposal for a free economic zone in Donbas if Ukraine withdraws remains under consideration.

On the nuclear front, U.S. negotiators have proposed shared control over the Zaporizhzhia plant, where power line repairs have begun after a local ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Trump said the development was “a big step” as Russia had not bombed the facility.

Before meeting Zelenskiy, Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a call described as “productive” by Trump and “friendly” by Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov. Trump said Putin pledged support for rebuilding Ukraine, including cheap energy supplies, and indicated he would call Putin again following the meeting.

Despite the ongoing attacks by Russian forces over the weekend, Trump expressed optimism that both Putin and Zelenskiy are serious about achieving peace. European leaders also joined parts of the meeting by phone. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said robust security guarantees are “of paramount importance,” while a spokesman for U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasized the urgency of ending the conflict.

Zelenskiy reiterated that any peace agreement would require approval by Ukraine’s parliament or a referendum, describing security guarantees as “the key milestone in achieving a lasting peace.”