US President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodímir Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, to discuss a 20-point peace plan. Before the meeting, Trump had a "very productive" phone call with Vladimir Putin. Both leaders expressed optimism about progress toward ending the war, though without specific details.
On Sunday, Donald Trump hosted Volodímir Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, known as his "winter White House". The meeting, focused on a 20-point peace plan presented by Zelensky and distrusted by Russia, lasted over three hours after lunch. Both leaders appeared before the press with an optimistic but reserved tone.
Trump described the encounter as "excellent" and estimated they are "95% towards reaching an agreement". He added: "I think we're getting very close, maybe very much so" and "We're closer to peace than ever". After lunch, they spoke with European leaders including Friedrich Merz of Germany, Emmanuel Macron of France, Keir Starmer of the UK, and Giorgia Meloni of Italy. Trump announced that talks would continue over the next two weeks and warned: "The war either ends now, or it will last much longer, and millions more people will die".
Zelensky highlighted significant progress, with a "90% agreement between the two parties" and "100%" on security guarantees, which he called "fundamental for a lasting peace". Key contentious issues included the fate of Donbas, where Trump demands full cession to Russia, and control of the Zaporiyia nuclear plant, occupied by Moscow since the first year of the invasion.
Hours earlier, Trump had a 75-minute call with Putin, described as "positive and very productive". According to Moscow, Trump tried to convince Putin to accept the 20-point plan, but he preferred returning to a 27-point draft discussed in August in Alaska, which would leave Ukraine disarmed and ceding unconquered territories. Trump praised Putin in front of Zelensky, saying he "is very committed to peace", despite ongoing Russian attacks.
Kyiv conditions any deal on NATO-like defense guarantees from the US and Europe. Zelensky arrived at Mar-a-Lago just after 1:25 p.m. local time, following a stop in Canada where he secured an additional $2.5 billion in aid. Putin and Trump agreed to a second call after the meeting. Despite slow Russian advances and recent attacks, like a 10-hour overnight bombardment on Kyiv, the Kremlin has not outright rejected the plan but insists on more negotiations.
