Peace deal close: Trump, Zelensky hails talks

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday refused to say whether he expects a peace deal over the Ukraine crisis to be reached by the end of 2025. "I don't have deadlines. You know what my deadline is? Getting the war ended," Trump told reporters at the start of his meeting with visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Asked whether their Sunday talks will lead to a peace deal, Trump said: "It depends -- I do believe we have the makings of a deal," noting that the Ukraine crisis has proved difficult to solve. Zelensky said his talks with Trump will focus on the latest draft of a 20-point peace plan and the sequencing of a settlement. "It's very important our teams talk about strategy -- how to make step-by-step, and to bring peace closer," Zelensky said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he and Donald Trump discussed "the sequence of further actions" during their meeting in Florida on Sunday. "We agree that security guarantees are key to achieving lasting peace, and our teams will continue to work on all aspects," Zelenskyy said.He said a 20-point peace plan is now 90 per cent agreed, while US-Ukraine security guarantees- a core demand from Kyiv -- are fully settled.

#WATCH | Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says, "...We had great discussions on all the topics, and we appreciate the progress that the Americans and Ukrainian teams made in these recent weeks...We discussed all the aspects of the peace framework...There has been 90 per… pic.twitter.com/JsOkfMEqMd

— ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2025

After the meeting at a joint press conference with the Ukrainian president,Trump said,“I do think we’re getting a lot closer, maybe very close.” Trump reminds Zelensky what Ukraine could have if it stops fighting.

Trump on Zelensky ceasefire demands: "Putin feels if they stop, and they have to start again, he doesn't want to be in that position. I understand that.

Zelensky feels strongly about this, but we can get around that... That's a problem that's going to get solved." pic.twitter.com/fYg9MNrHWX

— Margarita Simonyan (@M_Simonyan) December 28, 2025

However, the press conference ended without a formal announcement of a final agreement, but both leaders signalled that negotiations are nearing a decisive phase.