Trump says Ukraine and Russia are ‘closer than ever’ to peace following talks with Zelenskyy and Putin

President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that Ukraine and Russia are “closer than ever before” to a peace agreement as he hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Florida resort, though he admitted negotiations could still collapse and leave the war dragging on for years.

Trump’s remarks followed a discussion between the two leaders, which came after what he described as an “excellent,” two-and-a-half-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin—whose 2022 invasion of Ukraine started the war. Trump maintained his belief that Putin still seeks peace, even as Russia launched attacks on Ukraine while Zelenskyy traveled to the U.S. for the latest round of negotiations.

“Russia wants Ukraine to succeed,” Trump said during a late-afternoon news conference after meeting with Zelenskyy, whom he repeatedly praised as “brave.”

Both Trump and Zelenskyy recognized that difficult issues remain, including whether Russia can retain the Ukrainian territory it controls. After their talk, they called a broad group of European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the heads of Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain and Poland.

Zelenskyy thanked Trump for his efforts. “Ukraine is ready for peace,” he said.

Trump and Putin will speak again

Trump said he would follow the meeting with another call to Putin. Earlier Sunday, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov reported that the Trump-Putin call was initiated by the U.S. side, lasted over an hour, and was “friendly, benevolent and businesslike.” Ushakov added that Trump and Putin agreed to speak again “promptly” after Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy.

But Ushakov noted that a “bold, responsible, political decision from Kyiv” is needed on the fiercely contested Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and other disputed matters to achieve a “complete cessation” of hostilities.

In overnight developments, three guided aerial bombs launched by Russia struck private homes in the eastern city of Sloviansk, according to Vadym Lakh, head of the local military administration. Three people were injured and one man died, Lakh said in a Telegram post.

The strike came a day after Russia carried out attacks on Saturday that killed at least one person and wounded 27, Ukrainian authorities reported. Explosions boomed across Kyiv as the attack began early in the morning and continued for hours.

Trump said, however, that he still believes Putin is “very serious” about ending the war.

“I believe Ukraine has made some very strong attacks too,” Trump told reporters as Zelenskyy stood by his side. “And I don’t say that negatively. I think you probably have to. I don’t mean it negatively. But I think—he hasn’t told me this—but there have been some explosions in various parts of Russia. It looks to me… I don’t know. I don’t think they came from the Congo.”

Trump pointed out that negotiations could fall apart. “In a few weeks, we’ll know one way or the other, I think. … But it could also go poorly.”

The face-to-face meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy highlighted the apparent progress made by Trump’s top negotiators in recent weeks as the sides traded draft peace plans and continued shaping a proposal to end the fighting. Zelenskyy told reporters Friday that the 20-point draft proposal negotiators have discussed is “about 90% ready”—echoing a figure, and the optimism, that U.S. officials conveyed when Trump’s chief negotiators met with counterparts earlier this month.

During recent talks, the U.S. agreed to offer certain security assurances similar to those given to NATO members. The proposal came as Zelenskyy said he was prepared to drop Ukraine’s bid to join the alliance if his country received NATO-like protection designed to safeguard it against future Russian attacks.

‘Intensive’ weeks ahead

Zelenskyy also spoke on Christmas Day with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. The Ukrainian leader said they discussed “certain substantive details” and cautioned “there is still work to be done on sensitive issues” and “the weeks ahead may also be intensive.”

The U.S. president has been engaged on Ukraine for much of his first year back in office, showing irritation with both Zelenskyy and Putin while publicly acknowledging the difficulty of ending the conflict. Long gone are the days when, as a 2024 candidate, he boasted he could resolve the fighting in a day.

After taking office, Trump demanded that both Russia and Ukraine halt fighting and “stop at the battle line,” implying Moscow should be able to keep the territory it has seized from Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said last week that he would withdraw from Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a war-ending plan if Russia also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarized zone monitored by international forces.

Putin wants Russian gains kept, and more

Putin has publicly stated he wants all areas in four key regions captured by his forces—along with the Crimean Peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014—to be recognized as Russian territory. He has also insisted Ukraine withdraw from some eastern Ukrainian areas Moscow’s forces haven’t captured. Kyiv has publicly rejected all those demands.

The Kremlin also wants Ukraine to abandon its NATO bid. It warned it would not accept the deployment of any troops from alliance members and would view them as a “legitimate target.”

Putin has also said Ukraine must limit its army size and give official status to the Russian language—demands he has made since the conflict began.

Ushakov told the business daily Kommersant this month that Russian police and national guard would stay in parts of Donetsk—one of the two major regions (along with Luhansk) making up the Donbas—even if those areas become a demilitarized zone under a prospective peace plan.

Ushakov cautioned that reaching a compromise could take a long time. He said U.S. proposals that took into account Russian demands had been “worsened” by alterations from Ukraine and its European allies.

Trump has been somewhat receptive to Putin’s demands, arguing the Russian president can be persuaded to end the war if Kyiv agrees to cede Ukrainian land in the Donbas and if Western powers offer economic incentives to bring Russia back into the global economy.