Trump says ‘thorny’ issues remain after peace talks with Zelenskyy – USA Today

A trip to President Donald Trump‘s Florida resort by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy failed to cement a peace plan for his war-torn nation as Trump said progress was made but “very thorny” question remain unresolved.

Trump and Zelenskyy said the vast majority of a peace deal had been finalized after a day of intense negotiations that included an extensive phone conversation between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

An agreement “is very close,” Trump said, but he later acknowledged that negotiations had been difficult and might not produce results. “It’s possible it doesn’t happen,” he added.

Among the toughest questions are territorial concessions, or as Trump described it, “the land.” Ukrainian leaders have resisted ceding land to Russia, but Trump said their position could weaken.

“Some of that land may be up for grabs,” Trump said. “But it may be taken over the next period of a number of months, and you’re better off making a deal now.”

Trump spoke with Putin before welcoming Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago

Zelenskyy emphasized areas of agreement between U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators in a 20-point peace plan that has emerged out of negotiations, reiterating his comments leading up to the meeting that they are aligned on 90% of the deal.

But he noted that the question of how to handle contested territory is a “very difficult question.”

“We have to respect our law and our people,” Zelenskyy said. “We respect the territory which we control.”

One potential compromise on disputed areas, in the form of a demilitarized free trade zone, remains “unresolved,” Trump said.

Though Trump and Zelenskyy projected optimism that a deal could be reached, it was not clear whether Putin would accept any peace plan that emerges. Putin said in a news conference Dec. 19 that Russia’s terms for ending the war haven’t changed, and he did not show any signs of being willing to compromise.

Trump spoke with Putin before welcoming Zelenskyy to Mar-a-Lago, describing the call in a social media post as “very productive.” The president said he planned to call Putin again after his talk with Zelenskyy.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said after the call between Trump and Putin that the two leaders do not support a push by Ukrainian and European officials for a temporary ceasefire ahead of a final deal. Trump earlier in the day brushed off a question about whether Russia’s continued bombardment of Ukraine raised doubts about whether Putin is serious about peace.

“He’s very serious,” Trump said.

Trump is trying to cement an agreement to end nearly four years of fighting after Russia invaded Ukraine and kicked off the largest conflict in Europe since World War II. The 20-point peace plan negotiators are trying to finalize includes security guarantees to protect Ukraine from further attacks, allows the country to keep an 800,000-troop military, provides help for rebuilding the nation’s economy, and crafts a plan for membership in the European Union.

Security guarantees are the most important aspect of the potential deal, Zelenskyy said in a Dec. 27 social media post. Asked about the provision the next day before negotiations began, Trump said that “nobody even knows what the security agreement is going to say.”

“There will be a security agreement,” he added. “A very strong agreement. The European nations are very much involved in that.”

The 20-point proposal

Trump’s latest meeting with Zelenskyy comes after a roller-coaster year of negotiations to end the war. The president came into office promising a swift end to the conflict, but a deal has proven elusive, and Trump has lashed out at both sides.

Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelenskyy in a televised meeting in February that ended with the Ukrainian leader booted from the White House. He returned in August for discussions that went smoothly. Their latest encounter at Mar-a-Lago was cordial, and Trump described Zelenskyy as “very brave.”

Zelenskyy said the leaders discussed a follow-up meeting in January hosted by Trump that would include European officials.

Zelenskyy’s second trip to the White House came after Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin Aug. 15 for a summit in Alaska. The Putin meeting didn’t produce a breakthrough and alarmed European leaders, who then joined Zelenskyy at the White House.

Since then, Trump has applied more pressure on Russia with sanctions on the nation’s two largest oil companies.

The latest flurry of negotiations began last month. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Putin in Moscow Dec. 2 and had a phone call with Zelenskyy on Christmas Day.

The Trump administration crafted a 28-point peace plan for Ukraine that drew criticism as being heavily tilted toward Russia’s interests. Ukrainian officials worked with U.S. negotiators to revise the plan and unveiled a new 20-point proposal Dec. 24.

The question of territorial concessions continues to be a sticking point, though.

A key point of disagreement is eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, where Russia has sought full control, including over lands still held by Kyiv. Ukrainian leaders want to halt the conflict at current battle lines, but Zelenskyy has expressed openness to a proposal to withdraw troops in the part of the Donetsk region that Kyiv controls and create a demilitarized, free economic zone.

Leaders in the region also have disagreed over the operation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which Russia controls. The United States proposed a joint operating agreement between Russia, Ukraine and the United States, but Ukraine and Russia each want to exclude the other. Trump said he has discussed the power plant with Putin.

Russian forces gained ground in Ukraine in 2025, steadily seizing territory. The day before Zelenskyy and Trump met, Russia unleashed a barrage of missiles and drones on Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine.

Contributing: Reuters