Trump and Zelenskyy Say Peace Plan Is Close but Land Issue Remains

President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after a meeting at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday that they are close to a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine but announced no major breakthrough, NBC News reported.

At a news conference, Trump said, “You can say 95%, but I don’t like to say percentages. There are one or two very thorny issues, very tough issues.” NBC News reported that security guarantees from the United States, Europe and Ukraine are “almost agreed,” and Trump said the best case for a final deal is “a few weeks.” Zelenskyy had said before the meeting that a 20-point peace plan was “90% ready,” NBC News reported, and CBS News later reported that he said the U.S. and Ukraine had nearly reached agreement on the draft.

The hardest issue is land. NBC News reported that Russia wants to keep the Ukrainian territory it has seized, while Ukraine refuses to give up contested areas. Trump described the question as “the land,” referring to the Donbas region, and said, “some of that land has been taken. Some of that land is maybe up for grabs.” CBS News reported that Russia insists on sovereignty over the entire Donbas. Zelenskyy has shown openness to compromise: he said last week he would pull Ukrainian forces out of the eastern industrial heartland if it became a demilitarized zone monitored by international forces and Russia also withdrew, NBC News said. The U.S. had offered a “free economic zone” if Ukraine ceded the region, but Zelenskyy said there was no common understanding on that.

Zelenskyy said teams will meet in coming weeks to finalize what was discussed, and that Trump will host the meeting, perhaps in Washington. Trump confirmed he would host them “in Washington or someplace.” European leaders joined the two for a call after the meeting. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said any deal needs “ironclad security guarantees from day one,” NBC News reported.

The talks came just over a day after Russia launched a large missile and drone attack on Kyiv that killed at least one person and injured at least 20, according to the city’s mayor, NBC News reported. Zelenskyy said the attack involved almost 500 drones and 40 missiles. Zelenskyy urged “sufficient pressure” on Russia after a Saturday meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, NBC News reported, and CBS News reported that he said after the Mar-a-Lago talks that Putin’s words must match his actions.

Trump said afterward that Russia and Ukraine are “closer than ever before” to a settlement, CBS News reported. CBS News noted that Putin said the offensive must continue in the near future. It was the fourth meeting this year between Zelenskyy and Trump, NBC News said, whose February meeting at the White House ended in a tense confrontation.