‘We’ve made a lot of progress,’ says Trump
Trump says he and Zelenskyy have “made a lot of progress” in their “excellent” meeting.
“We covered, some would say, 95%, I don’t know what percent, but we have made a lot of progress on ending that war,” he says.
Updated at 16.56 EST
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Trump says ‘one or two thorny issues’ remain
Trump declines to put a percentage on the progress made, saying that “we could be very close”, adding:
There are one or two thorny issues, very tough issues, but I think we’re doing very well.
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands at the start of a joint news conference following a summit at Mar-a-Lago.
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands. Photograph: Alex Brandon/APShare
Zelenskyy thanks Trump for “a warm welcome and substantial discussion”.
Reiterating Trump’s remarks, Zelenskyy says the teams will meet in upcoming weeks to finalise the matters discussed.
Trump will host the teams in Washington in January, he adds.
Updated at 17.08 EST
Zelenskyy says 20-point peace plan is ‘90% agreed’ and security guarantees are ‘key milestone in achieving lasting peace’
Trump invites Zelenskyy to speak.
He starts by thanking Trump and the Ukrainian and US teams. He says the teams today discussed “all aspects of the peace framework” and says the 20-point peace plan is “90% agreed”. (You’ll remember that going into the meeting earlier he said the same thing, that the plan was 90% agreed).
“We agreed that security guarantees are a key milestone in achieving lasting peace and our teams will continue working on all aspects,” he adds.
Updated at 17.06 EST
Trump says it was an honor to have Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago and he hopes they enjoyed the food.
The working lunch reportedly featured chicken broth, steak and fries, and a chocolate cake named “Trump”.
Share‘We’ve made a lot of progress,’ says Trump
Trump says he and Zelenskyy have “made a lot of progress” in their “excellent” meeting.
“We covered, some would say, 95%, I don’t know what percent, but we have made a lot of progress on ending that war,” he says.
Updated at 16.56 EST
He says they just spoke to the leaders of France, Finland, Poland, Norway, Italy, the UK and Germany, along with the Nato secretary general and head of the European Commission.
“They’re all great leaders, and we had a great talk with them,” says Trump.
Updated at 16.56 EST
Trump and Zelenskyy speak to media following talks on latest peace proposal
And they’re here. Trump says they had a “terrific” meeting and may be “getting very close”.
Updated at 16.54 EST
Further to that, Zelenskyy has just confirmed on Telegram that he’ll make a live statement with Donald Trump.
Trump and Zelenskyy have reportedly ended their call with European leaders now, following their bilateral talks.
Two podiums have been set up with the US and Ukrainian flags behind them, so if and when a press conference does get underway we’ll bring you all the key lines here.
Updated at 16.50 EST
Luke Harding
Donald Trump has said talks to end the war in Ukraine are in their “final stages” as he sat down for a meeting on Sunday with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida, and insisted that Vladimir Putin was ready to make a peace deal.
There were no signs, however, that Russia was willing to drop any of its maximalist demands. According to Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov, Trump “listened carefully” on Sunday to Russia’s assessment of the conflict. Both sides agreed that a ceasefire proposed by Ukraine and Europe would only prolong the fighting “and is fraught with renewed hostilities”, Ushakov said.
Meanwhile, Trump greeted Zelenskyy on the steps of Mar-a-Lago and offered him a businesslike handshake. There was no hug. US officials did not meet Zelenskyy when he arrived at Palm Beach international airport, in contrast to the red carpet reception given to Putin by an applauding Trump at their summit in August in Alaska.
One former Ukrainian diplomat, Maria Drutska, said Putin was trying to “sabotage things” by ringing Trump before he saw Zelenskyy. During their previous meeting in October in the White House, Trump rowed back on the delivery of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine after a similar call to Moscow.
Donald Trump welcomes Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Mar-a-Lago with a handshake. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP
Putin wants Ukraine to hand over territory in the north of Donetsk oblast that his forces have been unable to capture. Zelenskyy’s counter-proposal envisages a demilitarised zone, with both sides withdrawing from the line of contact. The plan could be put to a referendum, providing Moscow first agrees to a ceasefire lasting from 60 to 90 days.
But fundamental problems remain, including the issue of security guarantees to prevent Russia from attacking again. Trump has made no military commitment to defend Ukraine. The original 28-point US plan was presented in November after talks with Russia and in effect demanded Ukraine’s capitulation.
Trump also declined to condemn the latest strikes on Kyiv and did not acknowledge that Russia – unlike, in his view, Ukraine – had deliberately targeted civilians. “I believe Ukraine has made some very strong attacks also. I don’t say that negatively. You probably have to,” he said, speaking outside his estate.
With Trump unwilling to pressure Russia, observers expect the nearly four-year-old full-scale war to continue. “The fundamental flaw in the current diplomatic push is the absence of the aggressor at the negotiating table,” Yuriy Boyechko, the founder of the charity Hope for Ukraine, said, adding:
Peace is not achieved by one side agreeing to terms with a third party; it requires the principal belligerent, Vladimir Putin, to commit to a ceasefire and withdrawal. As long as Russia is actively launching its heaviest attacks in months, it is signalling that it has no intention of honouring a deal it did not sign.
Luke’s full report is here:
Updated at 16.21 EST
Recap: what’s in the latest draft of the peace proposal?
Here’s a brief reminder of what’s in Zelenskyy’s 20-point peace proposal that he’s currently discussing with the Trump administration at Mar-a-Lago, which he reiterated today was 90% complete.
Zelenskyy wants Ukraine to receive (Nato) article 5-style future security guarantees to deter any future Russian aggression, and for Ukraine to maintain its armed forces at their current level of 800,000 troops. He also wants a precise date for Ukraine to assume EU membership.
On the particularly sensitive and complex issue of territory, under the proposal fighting in Donetsk would be frozen at the current battle lines, with Ukrainian and Russian forces withdrawing to create a neutral demilitarised buffer zone overseen by international forces.
The plan also calls for $800bn in aid to rebuild Ukraine’s infrastructure and postwar economy. Talks with the US on a free trade agreement would also be ramped up.
Zelenskyy is also proposing that Ukraine splits control of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant with the US, with Ukraine keeping half of the energy and the US allocating the other half as it pleases.
It’s also worth noting that the Ukrainian president has also stressed the importance of continued military assistance to Ukraine and putting further pressure on Russia to ends its war.
Updated at 15.01 EST
In a brief post on X a short while ago, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk wished “good luck” to Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he began his high-stakes meeting today with Donald Trump.
A reminder that Ukraine (and Europe’s) future security against the Kremlin’s ambitions is among the issues at stake, and a call with European leaders will follow Trump and Zelenskyy’s summit.
Updated at 14.39 EST
Here’s a snap from the Mar-a-Lago dining room where Volodymyr Zelenskyy and members of his delegation are sat opposite Donald Trump and the US delegation, which includes secretary of state Marco Rubio, defence secretary Pete Hegseth, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, chairman of the joint chiefs General Dan Caine, Jared Kushner, peace envoy Steve Witkoff and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller.
The Ukrainian delegation includes Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s national security and defence council, the first deputy foreign minister, Sergiy Kyslytsya, and Ukraine’s new ambassador to Washington, Olha Stefanishyna.
And despite what Trump said earlier, it turns out the press was not invited. Journalists were reportedly allowed into the room briefly before abruptly being escorted out.
Donald Trump hosts Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the dining room at Mar-a-Lago.
Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 16.25 EST
We have more on the call betwen Trump and Putin that took place earlier, with the Russian president’s top foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told a briefing that the call was initiated by Trump and that it last more than an hour.
Ushakov said both leaders agreed that a temporary ceasefire proposed by the EU and Ukraine would instead prolong the conflict.
He added that Kyiv must make “courageous, responsible political decision” regarding the Donbas region. “Given the situation on the front lines, Kyiv needs to make that decision without delay,” Ushakov said.
Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov on 12 December. Photograph: Alexander Kazakov/APShareTrump says he thinks peace talks are in final stages
Trump said he believes they’re in the final stages of talking and a “quick” end to the war could be possible, adding:
It’ll either end or it’s going to go on for a long time, and millions of additional people are going to be dead. And nobody wants that.
He said to another question:
I think we can move very rapidly.
Trump reiterated that they will also speak to European leaders after their meeting today, and the two leaders then turned and walked inside Mar-a-Lago to begin their talks.
Trump believes Ukraine peace talks are in ‘final stages’ – video Share
Updated at 15.14 EST
Asked why he came to Mar-a-Lago today, Zelenskyy said he hopes the talks will “bring peace as quick as possible”.
He said that 90% of the 20-point peace plan has been done by the Ukrainian and US teams, and they will be discussing points including the issue of territory.
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 14.27 EST
Trump dismissed a reporter’s question about security guarantees as “dumb”. He then added:
There will be a security agreement. It will be a strong agreement. The European nations are very much involved in that.
He added that the European nations “have been really great” and “they’re all terrific people”.