(Photo shared by Zelenskyy on X)

US President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, even as Russia intensified its attacks on Kyiv. Both leaders struck an optimistic tone, repeatedly suggesting that a peace deal was closer than at any previous point, yet they also acknowledged that several issues particularly territory, security guarantees and the future of occupied infrastructure remain unresolved.“I think we’re getting a lot closer, maybe very close,” Trump said after the meeting. Zelenskyy, thanking Trump for a “great meeting”, said Ukraine was “ready for peace” and that talks had yielded “significant results”, even if final decisions were still pending.

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The talks came just hours after the 47th POTUS held a lengthy phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and against the backdrop of fresh Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities.

Putin's shadow looms large

Zelenskyy’s visit followed what Trump described as an “excellent” phone call with Putin earlier the same day. The Kremlin later said the call was “friendly, benevolent and businesslike”, adding that Trump and Putin agreed to speak again promptly after Trump’s talks with the Ukrainian leader.

Trump insisted Putin still wants peace, despite Russia launching new attacks on Ukraine as Zelenskyy travelled to the US.

“Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed,” Trump said, adding that Putin had been “very generous in his feelings toward Ukraine succeeding”.Also read: Trump speaks to Putin ahead of Florida meet with ZelenskyyThat framing has alarmed some of Ukraine’s supporters, who note a pattern in which Trump speaks to Putin before meeting Zelenskyy. However, unlike previous encounters, this sequence did not lead to an openly tense exchange between the US and Ukrainian presidents.

Peace deal ‘90% agreed’

At the centre of the talks was a revised 20-point peace framework that US and Ukrainian teams have been refining for weeks.

Zelenskyy said the plan was “90% agreed”, while Trump said he did not like using percentages but suggested the deal was nearly complete.

“We discussed all aspects of the peace framework,” Zelenskyy later wrote. “We agreed that security guarantees are a key milestone in achieving lasting peace.”The two sides also agreed that their teams would meet again as early as next week to finalise remaining details, and that Trump would host Ukrainian and European leaders in Washington in January.

Territory remains the toughest obstacle

Both leaders acknowledged that the fate of the eastern Donbas region remains unresolved. Trump described it as “a very tough issue”, though he said it was getting closer to resolution. Zelenskyy was blunt about the divide. “Our attitude is very clear,” he said, adding that Ukraine and Russia hold fundamentally different positions.Trump suggested that making territorial concessions sooner rather than later could be pragmatic. “Some of that land has been taken,” he said. “And are you better off making a deal now?”Zelenskyy has shown new flexibility, saying any territorial settlement would require either a referendum or parliamentary approval, but only after a ceasefire, something Moscow has so far rejected.

Agreement in principle but details pending

Security guarantees emerged as the clearest area of convergence. Zelenskyy said US-Ukraine security guarantees were “100% agreed”, calling them essential to preventing future Russian aggression. Trump was more cautious, saying the talks were about “95% done” and stressing that European countries would need to shoulder much of the responsibility with US backing.During recent negotiations, Washington has floated Nato-like guarantees for Ukraine, even as Zelenskyy signalled he could drop Kyiv’s bid to formally join the alliance if equivalent protections were provided.

Russia, however, has repeatedly rejected any Nato role and warned it would view allied troops as legitimate targets.

The nuclear question

Another unresolved issue is the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, which has been under Russian control since early in the war. Trump said the plant was discussed “at length” and suggested Putin was open to cooperation. “President Putin is actually working with Ukraine on getting it open,” he said.Under US proposals, the plant could be jointly run by the US, Russia and Ukraine, with shared profits. Zelenskyy is known to oppose any Russian commercial role, making this a potential flashpoint as talks continue.

Europe brought into the room

After their meeting, Trump and Zelenskyy spoke jointly by phone with a broad group of European leaders, including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Poland and Finland.Von der Leyen later said progress was “good” but stressed that “ironclad security guarantees from day one” would be essential. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said leaders underlined the urgency of ending the war and commended Trump for driving talks forward.

Trump’s deadline: Weeks, not days

Trump repeatedly warned that negotiations could still collapse. “In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other,” he said. “It’s possible it doesn’t happen.”Also read: Donald Trump’s favourite timeline - two weeksThe US president, who once claimed he could end the war in a day, now openly acknowledges its complexity. “This is not a one-day process deal,” he said. “This is very complicated stuff.”

Optimism tempered by war on the ground

Even as diplomacy intensifies, fighting continues. Russia launched major attacks on Kyiv and other regions ahead of the talks, knocking out power and heating for hundreds of thousands. Ukrainian officials described the strikes as evidence of Moscow’s true intentions.Still, both Trump and Zelenskyy emerged keen to project momentum. “I do think we’re getting a lot closer,” Trump said. Zelenskyy echoed that sentiment, thanking Trump and his team and reiterating: “Ukraine is ready for peace.”