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Trump says ‘one or two thorny issues’ remain<\/p>\n
Trump declines to put a percentage on the progress made, saying that \u201cwe could be very close\u201d, adding:<\/p>\n
There are one or two thorny issues, very tough issues, but I think we\u2019re doing very well.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> shake hands at the start of a joint news conference following a summit at Mar-a-Lago.<\/p>\n Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands. Photograph: Alex Brandon\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Zelenskyy thanks Trump for \u201ca warm welcome and substantial discussion\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Reiterating Trump\u2019s remarks, Zelenskyy says the teams will meet in upcoming weeks to finalise the matters discussed.<\/p>\n Trump will host the teams in Washington in January, he adds.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.08 EST<\/p>\n Zelenskyy says 20-point peace plan is ‘90% agreed’ and security guarantees are ‘key milestone in achieving lasting peace’<\/p>\n Trump invites Zelenskyy to speak.<\/p>\n He starts by thanking Trump and the Ukrainian and US teams. He says the teams today discussed \u201call aspects of the peace framework\u201d and says the 20-point peace plan is \u201c90% agreed\u201d. (You\u2019ll remember that going into the meeting earlier he said<\/a> the same thing, that the plan was 90% agreed).<\/p>\n \u201cWe agreed that security guarantees are a key milestone in achieving lasting peace and our teams will continue working on all aspects,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.06 EST<\/p>\n Trump says it was an honor to have Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago and he hopes they enjoyed the food.<\/p>\n The working lunch reportedly featured chicken broth, steak and fries, and a chocolate cake named \u201cTrump\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>‘We’ve made a lot of progress,’ says Trump<\/p>\n Trump says he and Zelenskyy have \u201cmade a lot of progress\u201d in their \u201cexcellent\u201d meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cWe covered, some would say, 95%, I don\u2019t know what percent, but we have made a lot of progress on ending that war,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.56 EST<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re all great leaders, and we had a great talk with them,\u201d says Trump.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.56 EST<\/p>\n Trump and Zelenskyy speak to media following talks on latest peace proposal<\/p>\n And they\u2019re here. Trump says they had a \u201cterrific\u201d meeting and may be \u201cgetting very close\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.54 EST<\/p>\n Further to that, Zelenskyy has just confirmed on Telegram that he\u2019ll make a live statement with Donald Trump.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Trump and Zelenskyy have reportedly ended their call with European leaders now, following their bilateral talks.<\/p>\n 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\u2019ll bring you all the key lines here.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.50 EST<\/p>\n Donald Trump has said talks to end the war in Ukraine are in their \u201cfinal stages\u201d as he sat down for a meeting on Sunday with Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> in Florida, and insisted that Vladimir Putin was ready to make a peace deal.<\/p>\n There were no signs, however, that Russia was willing to drop any of its maximalist demands. According to Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov, Trump \u201clistened carefully\u201d on Sunday to Russia\u2019s assessment of the conflict. Both sides agreed that a ceasefire proposed by Ukraine and Europe<\/a> would only prolong the fighting \u201cand is fraught with renewed hostilities\u201d, Ushakov said.<\/p>\n 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<\/a> at their summit in August in Alaska.<\/p>\n One former Ukrainian diplomat, Maria Drutska, said Putin was trying to \u201csabotage things\u201d<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Donald Trump welcomes Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Mar-a-Lago with a handshake. Photograph: Alex Brandon\/AP<\/p>\n Putin wants Ukraine<\/a> to hand over territory in the north of Donetsk oblast that his forces have been unable to capture. Zelenskyy\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s capitulation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump also declined to condemn the latest strikes on Kyiv and did not acknowledge that Russia \u2013 unlike, in his view, Ukraine \u2013 had deliberately targeted civilians. \u201cI believe Ukraine has made some very strong attacks also. I don\u2019t say that negatively. You probably have to,\u201d he said, speaking outside his estate.<\/p>\n With Trump unwilling to pressure Russia, observers expect the nearly four-year-old full-scale war to continue. \u201cThe fundamental flaw in the current diplomatic push is the absence of the aggressor at the negotiating table,\u201d Yuriy Boyechko, the founder of the charity Hope for Ukraine, said, adding:<\/p>\n Peace is not achieved by one side agreeing to terms with a third party; it requires the principal belligerent, Vladimir Putin<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n Luke\u2019s full report is here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.21 EST<\/p>\n Recap: what’s in the latest draft of the peace proposal?<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a brief reminder of what\u2019s in Zelenskyy\u2019s 20-point peace proposal that he\u2019s currently discussing with the Trump administration at Mar-a-Lago, which he reiterated today was 90% complete.<\/p>\n Zelenskyy wants Ukraine<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The plan also calls for $800bn in aid to rebuild Ukraine\u2019s infrastructure and postwar economy. Talks with the US on a free trade agreement would also be ramped up.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.01 EST<\/p>\n In a brief post on X a short while ago, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk wished \u201cgood luck\u201d to Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he began his high-stakes meeting today with Donald Trump.<\/p>\n A reminder that Ukraine<\/a> (and Europe\u2019s) future security against the Kremlin\u2019s ambitions is among the issues at stake, and a call with European leaders will follow Trump and Zelenskyy\u2019s summit.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.39 EST<\/p>\n Here\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n The Ukrainian delegation includes Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine\u2019s national security and defence council, the first deputy foreign minister, Sergiy Kyslytsya, and Ukraine\u2019s new ambassador to Washington, Olha Stefanishyna.<\/p>\n And despite what Trump said<\/a> earlier, it turns out the press was not invited. Journalists were reportedly allowed into the room briefly before abruptly being escorted out.<\/p>\n Donald Trump hosts Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the dining room at Mar-a-Lago. Updated at\u00a016.25 EST<\/p>\n We have more on the call<\/a> betwen Trump and Putin that took place earlier, with the Russian president\u2019s top foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told a briefing that the call was initiated by Trump and that it last more than an hour.<\/p>\n Ushakov said both leaders agreed that a temporary ceasefire proposed by the EU and Ukraine<\/a> would instead prolong the conflict.<\/p>\n He added that Kyiv must make \u201ccourageous, responsible political decision\u201d regarding the Donbas region. \u201cGiven the situation on the front lines, Kyiv needs to make that decision without delay,\u201d Ushakov said.<\/p>\n Putin\u2019s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov on 12 December. Photograph: Alexander Kazakov\/APShare<\/a>Trump says he thinks peace talks are in final stages<\/p>\n Trump said he believes they\u2019re in the final stages of talking and a \u201cquick\u201d end to the war could be possible, adding:<\/p>\n It\u2019ll either end or it\u2019s going to go on for a long time, and millions of additional people are going to be dead. And nobody wants that.<\/p>\n He said to another question:<\/p>\n I think we can move very rapidly.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.14 EST<\/p>\n Asked why he came to Mar-a-Lago today, Zelenskyy said he hopes the talks will \u201cbring peace as quick as possible\u201d.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago. Photograph: Jim Watson\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.27 EST<\/p>\n Trump dismissed a reporter\u2019s question about security guarantees as \u201cdumb\u201d. He then added:<\/p>\n There will be a security agreement. It will be a strong agreement. The European nations are very much involved in that.<\/p>\n He added that the European nations \u201chave been really great\u201d and \u201cthey\u2019re all terrific people\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"Luke](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Luke_Harding,_L.png\")
Luke Harding<\/p>\n
Photograph: Joe Raedle\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Trump](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/3076.jpg\")
Trump believes Ukraine peace talks are in \u2018final stages\u2019 \u2013 video Share<\/a><\/p>\n