They informed a joint press conference after three hours of consecutive consultations in Mar-a-Lago, Florida that the agreement on the peace in Ukraine and the end of the war with Russia are now only 5% away.
During the press briefing the two US and Ukrainian leaders reported that significant progress has been made on all issues related to the peace plan.
Both argued that, on the two thorny issues of the 20-point plan for peace in Ukraine, such as the territorial issue for the eastern regions of Ukraine occupied by Russia, but also security guarantees, there was a convergence, as we moved from 90% agreement to 95%, while according to Zelensky, there is already 100% agreement on security guarantees.
Regarding the issue of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, Trump claimed, among other things, that in his conversation with Putin earlier, the Russian president appeared positive to work with Ukraine to make the facility accessible again.
Despite the fact that both appeared positive about the results of the meeting, their statements made it clear that negotiations will continue, as there is still no full agreement. Trump at this point has argued that he estimates that this can be achieved in a few weeks.
The talks between Trump and Zelensky, in the presence of their negotiating teams, lasted more than two and a half hours, while for an additional hour the two sides had a video conference with European leaders to inform them about the outcome of the contacts.
PRESIDENT TRUMP touts “excellent” meeting with President Zelenskyy.
“We made a lot of progress on ending that war…certainly the most deadly war since WWII.”
— Fox News (@FoxNews)
What came before – The timeline of the meeting
In the dining room of Mar-a-lago, there were several officials and ministers of the American government. Among them are Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the president’s chief of staff Susie Wiles and General Dan Cain, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In attendance were Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy for peace, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and Stephen Miller, Trump’s top adviser. On the other hand, the key figures in Zelensky’s team are the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, and Andriy Gnatov, the chief of the General Staff of Ukraine. Both were instrumental in last weekend’s talks in Miami with Witkoff and Kushner, which paved the way for the final stages that Trump says we have now reached.
Also present were three more members of Zelensky’s government team: Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kislitsia, Economy Minister Oleksiy Sobolev, and presidential adviser Oleksandr Bevz.
Trump, welcoming Volodymyr Zelensky at the entrance to Mar-a-Lago, appeared to lower the bar of expectations for his meeting with the Ukrainian president, giving the direction he would like the talks to take, telling reporters that the war will either “end” or “continue for a long time to come”, with many more victims.
Asked if he believed that this time Putin was actually serious about peace, Trump replied: “Yes, I do. I think they are — and I think they both are.’ To another question he added: “We have to make a deal, we have to get it done. I think both presidents want to reach an agreement.” At the same time, he told Zelensky that he would inform him about the phone call he had with Putin.
Prior to the arrival of President Volodymyr Zelensky at Trump’s resort, Yuri Usakov, a close adviser to President Vladimir Putin, in a related briefing, on the Trump-Putin telephone conversation, claimed that it lasted more than an hour, during which the two sides agreed that a long-term peace settlement is preferable to the temporary ceasefire promoted by the Ukrainians and Europeans.
Kiev, he said, must take “courageous, responsible political decisions” regarding Donbass, adding that “given the situation on the front line, it should not delay in making this decision.” As Putin claimed, he also agreed to the American proposal to create two working groups aimed at settling the conflict: one to deal with security issues and the other with economic issues.
The table was expected to include, among other things, the Ukrainian president’s 20-point peace proposal, which, as he repeated, has been agreed upon by 90%. Of course, future NATO Article 5 security guarantees to prevent any new Russian aggression are seen as one of the key issues on which there is at least partial agreement.
On the contrary, the highly sensitive and complex issue of the territories, until the Mar-a-Lago meeting began, was the key thorn for an agreement as Moscow and Kiev fight over the Donbass. The proposal, seen as a compromise, calls for a “freeze” of fighting in Donetsk on the current fronts, with Ukrainian and Russian forces withdrawing to create a neutral, demilitarized buffer zone overseen by international forces.
The plan also includes an $800 billion aid package to rebuild Ukraine’s infrastructure and rebuild its post-war economy, while accelerating talks with the US on a free trade agreement.
The proposal also includes a provision to share control of the Russian-held Zaporizhia nuclear power plant with the US, with Ukraine keeping half of the energy produced and the US disposing of the rest as it sees fit. At the same time, the Ukrainian president has emphasized the importance of continuing military aid to Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia to end the war.
