Trump says Russia-Ukraine peace deal ‘closer than ever’; admits talks could still fail | Key takeaways

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said Russia and Ukraine were “closer than ever before” to reaching a peace agreement, but acknowledged that negotiations could still collapse.

Trump made the remarks after hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Florida resort for talks, following what he described as an “excellent” two-and-a-half-hour phone conversation earlier in the day with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Standing alongside Zelenskyy after their meeting, Trump said he believed the Russian leader was serious about ending the conflict.

“Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed,” Trump told reporters.

Both leaders acknowledged that major hurdles remain, including the future of Ukrainian territories currently under Russian control and the nature of security guarantees that would prevent future invasions.

Trump suggested Kyiv might be better served by making territorial concessions now rather than risking further losses.

“Some of that land has been taken. Some of that land is maybe up for grabs, but it may be taken over the next period of a number of months,” he said. “And are you better off making a deal now?”

Heading into the meeting, Zelenskyy said he would be willing to put any peace agreement to a national referendum. He said, however, that a ceasefire would be necessary to hold such a vote.

Following the talks, Trump and Zelenskyy held a joint call with several European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the leaders of Finland, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Poland.

Zelenskyy said Trump had agreed to host European leaders again, possibly at the White House, in January. Trump said the meeting could take place in Washington or “someplace”.

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

Trump said he would follow up the meeting with another call to Putin. Earlier, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said the Trump-Putin call was initiated by the US and was “friendly, benevolent and businesslike”.

The future of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine remains one of the most contentious issues. Trump acknowledged it was a “very tough” question but said he believed it could be resolved.

“Our attitude is very clear,” Zelenskyy said. “Of course, we have with Russia different positions on it.”

Trump said he continued to believe Putin was “very serious” about ending the war, while also noting that both sides continued military strikes.

“In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other,” Trump said, adding that a single unresolved issue could still derail the talks.

Trump, who returned to office earlier this year, has made ending the Ukraine war a key priority. Last week, Zelenskyy said he would consider withdrawing Ukrainian troops from parts of the eastern industrial region as part of a demilitarised zone monitored by international forces, provided Russia also pulls back.

Russia’s demands

Putin has said Russia wants all territory seized in four Ukrainian regions, along with Crimea, annexed in 2014, to be recognised as Russian. He has also demanded that Ukraine abandon its NATO aspirations, limit the size of its military and grant official status to the Russian language.

Kyiv has publicly rejected these demands. Moscow has warned it would view any NATO troop deployment in Ukraine as a “legitimate target”.

Ushakov said Russian security forces would remain in parts of Donetsk even under a demilitarised arrangement, and cautioned that reaching a compromise could take considerable time.

Trump has argued that Putin could be persuaded to end the war if Kyiv agrees to cede territory in the Donbas region and Western countries offer economic incentives to reintegrate Russia into the global economy.