Trump and Zelensky strike hopeful tone after talks as hurdles remain

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday took steps toward agreeing on a proposal to end Russia’s invasion, but multiple difficult sticking points remain to be resolved and it’s unclear if Russia would agree to their proposals.

The leaders said talks between the three countries would continue in January.

“This is not a one-day process deal. This is very complicated stuff,” Mr Trump said after an hours-long lunch meeting with Mr Zelensky and advisers. He cited “one or two” unresolved problems that he didn’t specify.

“In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other, I think,” Mr Trump said, adding that “it’s been a very difficult negotiation.”

Beforehand, Mr Trump brushed off concerns that Mr Putin wasn’t serious about peace as his forces pounded the Ukrainian capital this weekend.

At least four people were killed and 30 wounded in Russian attacks on Friday and Saturday, Ukrainian authorities said.

An assault on Kyiv’s energy grid early Saturday knocked out heat in a third of the capital, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, and caused widespread power cuts.

Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky met privately with their delegations in the Mar-a-Lago dining room. Joining the President are his chief of staff, Susie Wiles; Secretary of State Marco Rubio; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth; Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine; US envoy Steve Witkoff; son-in-law Jared Kushner; the General Services Administration’s Josh Gruenbaum; and policy adviser Stephen Miller.

After little to show for previous summits - with Mr Putin in Alaska in August, and Mr Zelensky in Washington in October - Mr Trump waved off any more in-person meetings until he viewed a resolution as closer to fruition.

Last month’s unsuccessful push centred on a proposal that Mr Witkoff drafted in close collaboration with the Russian side.

This time, Mr Zelensky is presenting a 20-point plan that he said the United States has already mostly agreed to.

“Ninety percent, by the way, was done by our two teams,” Mr Zelensky said Sunday with Mr Trump at his side.

Mr Zelensky’s plan includes security guarantees from the US against future Russian aggression, a date for Ukrainian admission to the European Union and pledges for European military support.

“Nobody even knows what the security agreement is going to say, but there will be a security agreement,” Mr Trump said before Sunday’s meeting. “It’ll be a strong agreement.”

The most sensitive issue has been territory. Last month, Ukraine rejected Russia’s demand to withdraw from parts of the Donetsk region to create a demilitarised zone.

Mr Zelensky is proposing both sides withdraw from the area to create an economic free zone with international troops and monitors.

Under the draft plan, Ukraine would maintain a peacetime military of 800,000 troops to discourage future attacks; Moscow has said it couldn’t abide such a force. Mr Putin has demanded Ukraine cede the entire Donbas region; Mr Zelensky has said Ukraine will not give up any territory.

As Mr Trump has wavered between the two sides, Mr Zelensky has relied on European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, for more consistent support.

Ahead of his meeting with Mr Trump, Mr Zelensky flew to Canada to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney, who announced a new round of $1.8 billion assistance to Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky said Friday that he also planned to discuss boosting pressure on Russia.

“Russia constantly looks for reasons not to agree,” he said. If Moscow refuses the new draft, “it means the pressure is insufficient.”

Mr Putin has repeatedly rejected proposals for ceasefires and refused to meet with Mr Zelensky, who he claims is an illegitimate leader.

Since launching the war, he has shown no interest in moving off his core demands, including the seizure of large swaths of Ukraine.

© 2025 , The Washington Post