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President Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky stated that their talks in Florida yielded progress toward ending the war in Ukraine, although the US president acknowledged that “one or two very thorny issues” remain unresolved.
Both leaders described the meeting as “great,” but Trump stressed that territory remains a major sticking point, with Russia continuing to demand that Ukraine cede more land.
Speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago, Zelensky said the two sides had agreed on about 90 per cent of a proposed 20-point peace plan, while Trump claimed discussions on security guarantees for Ukraine were “close to 95 per cent” complete.
Zelensky later announced that US and Ukrainian teams would resume talks next week to address outstanding issues linked to ending Russia’s nearly four-year war.
“We had a substantive conversation on all issues and highly value the progress made by the Ukrainian and American teams in recent weeks,” Zelensky said in a statement on Telegram.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and currently occupies about 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory.
Trump said proposals to turn the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine into a demilitarised zone remain unresolved. Russia controls most of the region, including around 75 per cent of Donetsk and nearly all of neighbouring Luhansk.
“Some of that land has been taken,” Trump said, adding that control of other areas could still change in the coming months.
Moscow wants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining parts of Donbas it still holds, while Kyiv has proposed making the area a free economic zone under Ukrainian policing.
Trump acknowledged that the territorial issue is difficult but said it would eventually be resolved. He hinted that security guarantees for Ukraine were largely agreed upon, although he stopped short of committing to troop deployments or logistical support.
The US president also raised the possibility of future trilateral talks involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine, while warning that failed negotiations could allow the war to continue.
Following a separate call with European leaders, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed what she called “good progress” in Florida, while insisting on strong security guarantees for Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron said allies would meet in Paris next month to finalise their individual contributions.
