Donald Trump calls talks with Zelenskyy ‘terrific’ and says sides are ‘very close’, but key issues remain | World News

President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak at a joint news conference following a meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US President Donald Trump said “a lot of progress” had been made in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago, but a BBC snap analysis said there was little sign that the meeting changed any major points in the peace process.

Trump described the discussions as “terrific” and said the sides were “very close” to a deal. Zelenskyy said before the talks that 90% of a peace plan was complete, and after the talks he again said that 90% of the plan was agreed.

Neither leader gave a timeline and both said their teams would meet again in the coming weeks. Zelenskyy also mentioned the possibility of a later meeting in Washington with European leaders.

Trump said “one or two thorny issues remain” and warned that unexpected problems could still interrupt progress. He called the question of territory an “unresolved issue”, adding that he believed it could be solved, though he did not explain how.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s position on the Donbas region was different from Russia’s. “We have to respect our law and our people and the territory which we control,” he said.

I thank @POTUS Donald Trump for a great meeting. We had a substantive discussion on all issues, and we much appreciate the progress achieved American and Ukrainian teams in recent weeks. Special thanks to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for their engagement and full… pic.twitter.com/cDAC2LFl6K— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 28, 2025

Zelenskyy said security guarantees were “100% agreed” and called them a “key milestone in achieving lasting peace”, but added that both sides would continue working to “finalise all discussed matters”. Story continues below this ad

Trump also said a trilateral meeting between the United States, Ukraine and Russia could take place “at the right time” and suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin “wants to see it happen”. President Trump has made similar comments before and that a wider settlement to end the war still appears dant.

(With inputs from AP and Reuters)