US President Donald Trump said Sunday that Ukraine and Russia are "closer than ever before" to a peace deal, following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Trump said it could become clear within "weeks" whether the war in Ukraine can end, noting, "If it went really well, you know, maybe a few weeks, and if it went poorly, longer."
The president described his meeting with Zelenskyy as making “a lot of progress,” adding, "We're getting a lot closer, maybe very close" to ending the conflict. He said the two discussed thorny issues such as the status of the Donbas region, which remains “unresolved, but… getting a lot closer.”
"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, standing alongside Zelenskyy.
The meeting followed what Trump described as an “excellent,” two-and-a-half-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago launched the war.
Trump said the call was “friendly, benevolent and businesslike,” according to Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who added that the conversation had been initiated by the U.S.
Ushakov said Trump and Putin agreed to speak again “promptly” after Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy, but stressed that “a bold, responsible, political decision is needed from Kyiv” on the Donbas and other issues for a “complete cessation” of hostilities.
Zelenskyy thanked Trump for his efforts, declaring, “Ukraine is ready for peace.”
Trump praised the Ukrainian leader as “brave,” and said he believes Putin “still wants peace.” The president added, “Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed.”
Still, Trump warned that negotiations could collapse. “In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other, I think. We could have something where one item that you’re not thinking about is a big item, breaks it up. Look, it’s been a very difficult negotiation. Very detailed.”
Trump said he has offered to address Ukraine’s parliament to push the latest peace plan forward. “I'm not sure that it would be really necessary, but if it would help save 25,000 lives a month, or whatever it may be, I would certainly be willing to do that,” he said.
Zelenskyy recently signaled willingness to withdraw troops from eastern Ukraine if Russia does the same, turning the area into a demilitarized zone overseen by international forces. Putin, however, has demanded that all territories captured by Russia, as well as the 2014-annexed Crimea, be recognized as part of Russia - demands Kyiv has flatly rejected.
Despite another wave of Russian strikes - including bombings in Sloviansk and Kyiv that left several dead and injured - Trump said he believes Putin remains “very serious” about ending the war.
“I believe Ukraine has made some very strong attacks also,” Trump said. “And I don’t say that negatively.”
Trump emphasized that while progress is being made, “it’s a very complex negotiation,” and the next few weeks would determine whether the emerging diplomatic framework can finally bring the war to an end.