Trump says peace deal near, flags "one or two thorny issues" after Zelenskyy talks

Florida [US], December 29 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) said a peace agreement to end the Russia-Ukraine war is getting "very close," after a high-level meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Trump said he believed significant progress had been made and described the discussions as productive and wide-ranging.
"We had a terrific meeting. We discussed a lot of things. As you know, I had an excellent phone call with President Putin. It lasted for over two hours. We discussed a lot of points. I do think we're getting a lot closer, maybe very close. The President and I just spoke to the European leaders... We have made a lot of progress on ending that war, which is probably the deadliest war since World War II..." Trump said.
Trump said he believes a peace agreement is "close" but acknowledged that a few "thorny" issues remain unresolved. He described one of them as particularly sensitive and linked it to territory in eastern Ukraine.
When asked about the "thorniest issues" still unresolved, Trump said, "The land. Some of that land has been taken... You're better off making a deal now..."
He declined to give an exact figure on how much of the deal has been finalised but said discussions were nearing completion.
He also acknowledged that the fate of the eastern Donbas region, which Russia has demanded Ukraine surrender, remains a major issue.
"We're getting closer to an agreement on that. And that's a big issue," he said while appearing alongside Zelenskyy. "Certainly, that's one of the big issues, and I think we're closer."
Trump said ending the war was a priority for him, stressing the human cost of the conflict.
"Everybody wants [the war] ended... I want it ended because I don't want to see so many people dying," he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the talks with Trump covered all major aspects of a possible peace settlement.
"...We had great discussions on all the topics, and we appreciate the progress that the American and Ukrainian teams made in these recent weeks... We discussed all the aspects of the peace framework..." Zelenskyy said.
He said there has already been major convergence between the two sides on several fronts.
"There has been 90 per cent agreement on the 20-point peace plan, 100 per cent agreement on US-Ukraine security guarantees, and US-Europe-Ukraine security guarantees are almost agreed. The military dimension is 100 per cent agreed. The Prosperity Plan is being finalised, and we also discussed the sequencing of the following actions," Zelenskyy said.
"We agreed that security guarantees are a key milestone in achieving lasting peace, and our teams will continue working on all aspects... Ukraine is ready for peace..." he added.
Trump said discussions with Russia, Ukraine and European leaders would continue in the coming days as negotiators work to resolve the remaining issues and move towards a final agreement.
Trump hosted a grand dinner for Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago resort, which was attended by officials from both the Ukrainian government and the Trump administration.
Both leaders also held talks with European Union leaders during the meeting.
The call lasted over an hour, and the leaders discussed "concrete steps" to end the war, Finnish President Alexander Stubb wrote in a post on X.
Participants on the call included the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Norway, as well as the NATO Secretary General and the President of the European Commission, Stubb wrote.
"We are all working towards a just and lasting peace," Stubb said.

"There was good progress, which we welcomed," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said later in a post on X. "Europe is ready to keep working with Ukraine and our US partners to consolidate this progress. Paramount to this effort is having ironclad security guarantees from day one."
Zelenskyy arrived in Florida on Sunday with his 20-point peace plan to put an end to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. The visit also came on the heels of a massive Russian attack that killed two people. Even on the day of the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy in the US, CNN reported that in the eastern city of Sloviansk, bombing killed at least one person and injured several others.
Before meeting Zelenskyy, Trump held a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he later described as "very productive."
The Kremlin also termed the conversation between the two leaders as friendly, well-wishing and businesslike.
Both the Russian and US leaders agreed that a temporary ceasefire, as proposed by Ukraine and its European backers, "would only prolong the conflict and risk a resumption of hostilities," according to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov.
Trump is expected to hold another phone call with Putin, whose approval would be required for any potential peace agreement. (ANI)