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Donald Trump says Russia-Ukraine peace deal ‘a lot closer’ as Volodymyr Zelensky hails Mar-a-Lago talks
Donald Trump also went on to describe “one of two very thorny issues” that remain to be resolved to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war was getting “closer,” but also described “one of two very thorny issues” that remain, as his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, hailed the talks.
Addressing a joint press conference with Zelensky after talks at his Florida club, Mar-a-Lago, Trump described the meeting as “terrific” and said that the agreement was “a lot closer”.
"We had a terrific meeting. We discussed a lot of things. As you know, I had an excellent phone call with President Putin... and I do think we're getting a lot closer," Trump told reporters.
The Republican leader declined to put the agreed-upon terms for security guarantees in percentages but went on to say that it could be “close to 95%”.
He acknowledged that the fate of the eastern Donbas region, which Russia has demanded Ukraine surrender, remained an outstanding issue.
"It's unresolved, but it's getting a lot closer. That's a very tough issue, but one that I think will get resolved," Trump told reporters in response to a question about the Donbas.
Asked what the "thorniest" issue was left to resolve, Trump said it was land.
"You're better off making a deal now," he said, adding that Ukraine has been "very brave... and done tremendous damage", but "it's time to end" the conflict.
Trump, while voicing confidence in the state of peace discussions, underscored that the talks remain highly complex and declined to provide a firm timeline for when they may be resolved.
“In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other, I think,” he said.
Volodymyr Zelensky thanks Donald Trump
Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Donald Trump for hosting the talks and added that European and Ukrainian teams will continue working on this, and will meet "in upcoming weeks" to "finalise all discussed matters".
He also announced that Trump will host the European and Ukrainian teams in the US in January for further talks.
The pair also spoke on the phone with a group of European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“We agree that security guarantees is a key milestone in achieving lasting peace, and our teams will continue working on all aspects,” Zelenskiy said.
Trump said that Europe would assume a significant portion of the security guarantees for Ukraine.
