Military security was “100% agreed”, but there are still “thorny issues”. What changes in the war after the meeting between Trump and Zelensky

Between 100% military guarantees and Trump’s praise for Putin, the meeting in Mar-a-Lago may have brought a possible peace agreement closer, but the territory’s red line forces Zelensky to send the final decision to the polls.

The tension of two failed meetings in Washington hung over Zelensky, before the start of the meeting with US President Donald Trump. But what happened was a diplomatic marathon lasting more than three hours that had some optimism, news about security guarantees but also warnings that everything could fall apart at any moment.

“We had a great meeting. We discussed a lot of things. I think we’re getting a lot closer, maybe too close,” said President Donald Trump at the joint press conference.

The main point of agreement between the two countries appears to be linked to security guarantees. Upon leaving the meeting, Volodymyr Zelensky was peremptory in ensuring that the military dimension and bilateral security guarantees with the United States are “100% agreed”, and that there is also a principle of almost total agreement involving the European Union.

A position later corroborated on social media by Ursula von der Leyen, who participated in a video call with European leaders at the end of the meeting and who described the need for security guarantees “armored from day one” as an essential pillar of the progress achieved.

Although there is an understanding of 90% of the 20-point peace plan, the remaining 10%, or 5% in Trump’s most optimistic accounts, contain the most complicated challenges. The main thing remains Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty, with Zelensky reiterating in Mar-a-Lago that the Ukrainian Constitution prevents the ceding of territory through parliamentary means, referring any decision of this nature to the popular will.

“We must respect our law and our people”, stated the Ukrainian leader, stressing that it is up to society to choose the future of the land that has belonged “to the nation for many generations”, opening the door to holding a referendum on any point of the peace plan.

The fate of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was also one of the main points of discussion between the two delegations, which included some of the most important names in executives from both countries. Donald Trump revealed that this topic was discussed “in great detail”, even praising Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stance on infrastructure, stating that the Russian leader “has been very good in this regard” and that he has been working with Ukraine to reopen the plant, one of the largest in the world. Trump also said that an agreement for a free trade zone in the Donbass is close to being reached.

Despite progress, the time horizon for a definitive peace agreement remains uncertain. However, both sides promise to continue meeting in the coming weeks, even opening the possibility of a new meeting in the American capital, in January, with the presence of several European leaders.

Donald Trump refused to commit to strict deadlines, warning that negotiations of this nature could run into unforeseen details.

“If it goes very well, we could reach an agreement in a few weeks. If it goes worse, it might not happen. It’s possible that it won’t happen. But within a few weeks we might know. We might have an object that we think is nothing special and suddenly it becomes a big problem,” says the American president.

Donald Trump also left the door open to a trip to Ukraine to speak in parliament, if necessary to secure a peace agreement between Kiev and Moscow, although he suggested that this scenario is unlikely.

“I don’t have any problem with that [viajar para a Ucrânia]. It’s not in our plans; I would like to close the deal without necessarily having to go,” he told reporters at Mar-a-Lago.

The American President added: “I offered to go and speak to parliament and, if that would help… I don’t know if it would help, I think it probably would, but I don’t even know if it would be welcome.”

“It is welcome”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promptly assured.

The Ukrainian president also recalled the fact that the Constitution of Ukraine does not allow the transfer of territory through a parliamentary vote, approval through a popular referendum being mandatory.

After meeting with Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted that the territorial issue continues to be a difficult point.

“They know our position,” he told journalists present at the Mar-a-Lago complex in Florida. “We must respect our law and our people. We respect the territory we control.”

The Ukrainian leader reiterated that the final decision on the territorial issue will rest with the people of Ukraine, noting that a referendum could be held on any point of the peace plan, and not just on the territory. Zelensky also left open the possibility of parliament’s involvement.

“We can hold a referendum on any point in this plan,” he declared. “Of course our society has to choose”, and it is up to Ukrainians to vote, “because it is their land, not just one person’s. It has been our nation’s land for many generations.”