Zelensky met with Donald Trump in Florida, stating they have agreed on 90% of the peace plan but the territorial dispute remains unresolved at this time.
On Sunday, 28 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, traveled to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to discuss a 20-point peace plan, including proposals from the Ukrainian side.
At a press conference after the talks, Trump said he felt honored to welcome the Ukrainian delegation and praised them as a “strong and great group.”
Zelensky then expressed thanks to Trump for the “excellent meeting,” saying both sides had discussed every aspect of the peace cooperation framework and had already agreed on more than 90% of the 20-point peace plan, while security guarantees between the U.S. and Ukraine had been fully agreed upon at 100%.
“Security guarantees are a key milestone toward achieving lasting peace,” Zelensky said, adding that teams from Europe and Ukraine would continue working on this and would meet “within the next few weeks” to “finalize all discussed issues.”
He also noted that President Trump would welcome this working group in Washington in January.
Later, Trump said the security guarantees were “almost 95%” complete but added, “I’m not much into talking in percentages.”
When asked if a free trade zone agreement in the Donbas region had been reached, Trump replied that it was still “unsettled but has moved much closer to reality.”
Zelensky was then asked about the Donbas issue. The Ukrainian leader responded that they respect the territory “that we control,” emphasizing Ukraine’s position on Donbas is “very clear” and “different from Russia’s.”
When asked which issue was the “most difficult” to resolve, Trump answered briefly: “The territorial issue.”
“It would be better if you could settle this now,” he said, adding that Ukraine is “very brave... and capable of causing massive damage,” but “it is time to end” the conflict.
Trump further said he is open to visiting Ukraine but wants agreements finalized first. He also offered to deliver a speech to the Ukrainian parliament if Zelensky thought it would help the situation, to which Zelensky responded, “You are always welcome.”
The U.S. president added that he had spoken with Russian leader Vladimir Putin about Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which has been under Russian control since the start of the war.
“In fact, President Putin is working with Ukraine to get the plant operational again,” Trump said. “He is doing very well on this; he wants to see it running.” He added, “He has not fired missiles at that plant.”
When asked how long the war might last before ending, Trump replied it could be over within weeks. “In the next few weeks, we will know what the outcome will be,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of a trilateral meeting between Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine, Trump said he sees an opportunity at the right time. “He (Putin) wants it to happen,” Trump said. “He told me very firmly, and I believe him.”
Trump added that earlier that same day he had a lengthy phone call with Putin lasting two and a half hours. When asked if Russia would be responsible for helping to rebuild Ukraine, he replied,
“They will help,” Trump said about Russia. “Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed.”
The U.S. leader also said Putin has shown great generosity in his desire to see Ukraine succeed, including “providing energy, electricity, and other things at very low prices,” but that Putin has not yet agreed to a ceasefire because he does not want to stop fighting and then have to start again, which “I understand,” the U.S. president added.
Zelensky was then asked about Ukrainians living abroad and whether they would participate in any referendum to approve agreements to end the war.
“They have the right to do so,” said the Ukrainian leader, adding that infrastructure must be prepared to make this possible before the joint press conference concluded.
. . .bbc