U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he thinks "we're getting a lot closer, maybe very close" to a peace deal to end the Ukraine crisis after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Florida.
The two presidents spoke with European leaders, including leaders of NATO and the European Union, during the course of their meeting, Trump told reporters at a joint press conference with Zelensky.
Trump said that about 95 percent of the terms of the peace plan have been agreed upon by parties involved, though "one or two very thorny issues" still remain.
He said Russia and Ukraine have not reached an agreement on Donbas, which remains one of the unresolved key issues in the peace talk.
Trump said Ukraine and Russia must settle their differences on Donbas and stressed that the two sides are getting closer to resolving the issue.
Ahead of his meeting with Zelensky, Trump said on Truth Social that he "had a good and very productive telephone call" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump said that he believes that a trilateral meeting between Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. could happen "at the right time." He also said that he has not ruled out the option of visiting Ukraine if it helps to promote the peace deal, but emphasized that it is not a necessary prerequisite for the current negotiation.
Zelensky said that the U.S. and Ukraine have made significant progress on the latest draft of a 20-point peace plan, with about 90 percent of the plan agreed upon. He also noted that the United States, Europe and Ukraine have almost 100 percent agreed on security guarantees for Ukraine. "We discussed all the aspects of the peace framework," Zelensky said.
According to the Ukrainian president, all arrangements on the military level have been finalized, and the economic and prosperity plan is undergoing final refinement.
Zelensky emphasized that security guarantees are a key milestone in achieving lasting peace.
Trump says 'a lot closer' to Ukraine peace deal following talks with Zelensky
Trump says 'a lot closer' to Ukraine peace deal following talks with Zelensky
