Trump and Zelensky strike hopeful tone after Miami talks despite limited progress

Both US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky struck an optimistic tone after holding talks to advance the evolving US peace plan to end the war in Ukraine at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Sunday.

Trump described the talks as “terrific” during a joint press conference with Zelensky after their meeting, while the Ukrainian leader said later on Telegram that they had been “wonderful” and “substantive”. However, key disputes, particularly over territory, remain unresolved.

Trump said during the press conference that the US and Ukraine were “a lot closer, maybe very close” to a peace agreement, but acknowledged that some “thorny issues” remained and that it could be “a few weeks” before the outcome became clear.

Zelensky, meanwhile, described an agreement on US security guarantees for Ukraine as having been reached, while Trump appeared more cautious, describing it as 95% done. Neither leader provided details of what had been agreed, however.

The fate of eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region remains the central sticking point between the two sides, with Trump saying that the issue was “unresolved but getting closer”. 

The talks followed a phone call between Trump and Vladimir Putin earlier on Sunday, after which Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov said that the war’s resolution must reflect “the situation on the frontlines” and include “a bold and responsible political decision” from Kyiv regarding Donbas — once again alluding to Russia’s demand that Ukraine fully withdraw from the eastern Donetsk region, where fighting continues.

Zelensky said last week that if no agreement was reached on maintaining the current line of contact in Donbas, Ukraine would hold a referendum on the creation of a free economic zone in the region, which would require “a real ceasefire” lasting at least 60 days.

However, Moscow rejected the idea, as Ushakov said Trump and Putin shared a “broadly similar view” that the temporary ceasefire “would merely prolong the conflict and risk a renewed escalation on the battlefield”.

Commenting on the call with Putin, Trump said that the Russian leader was open to supplying energy and electricity to Ukraine “at very low prices” should a peace deal be reached. “Russia’s going to be helping. Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed,” Trump said, prompting a chuckle from Zelensky.