Trump says progress made in Ukraine talks but 'thorny issues' remain
Both the US president and Zelensky describe talks in Florida as "great" and "terrific" but the issue of territory remains "unresolved".
50 minutes ago
Bernd Debusmann Jr,Washington DCand
Harry Sekulich
Reuters
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky said progress had been made to end the Ukraine war during talks in Florida, but failed to reach a breakthrough on a few of the thorniest issues.
The US and Ukrainian leaders met at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home on Sunday to discuss a revised peace plan, several key parts of which Russia has already rejected.
On Monday, Zelensky said the US had offered security guarantees for a period of 15 years. Trump said on Sunday an agreement on this point was "close to 95%" done.
But little has been said on the future of Ukraine's contested Donbas region, which Russia seeks to control in its entirety.
Reuters
Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The two regions are known collectively as Donbas.
Speaking to reporters after the talks, Trump said a deal on Donbas remained "unresolved, but it's getting a lot closer".
Its fate has been a major obstacle throughout negotiations, with Russia consistently unwilling to compromise on its aim to seize its full control.
On Monday, the Kremlin again said Ukraine should withdraw its troops from the part of Donbas Kyiv still controls. Ukraine has insisted the area could become a free economic zone policed by Ukrainian forces - but Zelensky has underlined that any talks on this should include the Ukrainian people, Reuters news agency reported.
The US president has repeatedly changed his own position on Ukraine's lost territories, and in September stunned observers by suggesting that Ukraine might be able to take it back. He later reversed course.
Security guarantees and 'trilateral talks'
Addressing reporters at Mar-a-Lago after Sunday's talks, Zelensky repeated his belief that an overall peace agreement was 90% of the way there, a figure he had given in the days leading up to his visit.
Both leaders also indicated there had been progress on one key sticking point - security guarantees for Ukraine.
Zelensky later said the US had offered security guarantees for an extendable period of 15 years, but Kyiv wanted the option of having them for up to 50 years. He said he hoped the guarantees would begin the moment Kyiv signed a peace deal, Reuters reported.
The US has not yet commented on the time frame. On Sunday, Trump said an agreement was close and that he expected European countries to "take over a big part" of that effort with support from the US.
Trump, meanwhile, floated the possibility of trilateral talks between the US, Russia, and Ukraine, saying it could happen "at the right time".
While the US president is keen to add the Ukraine-Russia war to the list of conflicts he claims to have ended, he cautioned that stalled or scrapped talks that go "really badly" could mean that the war continues.
Zelensky suggested the Ukrainian officials could meet at the White House in January, potentially alongside European leaders, as the US and Ukrainian delegations finalise plans for further talks.
In a post-meeting call with European allies, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed "good progress" in the Florida talks while reinforcing the need for "ironclad security guarantees" for Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron also said Kyiv's allies would meet in Paris next month to discuss security guarantees.
Trump: Agreement on Donbas 'unresolved' but 'getting closer'
Zelensky later said that a peace plan should be put to a referendum in Ukraine, saying a 60-day ceasefire would be necessary for such a vote to take place.
However, Russia does not back a temporary ceasefire - an issue which reportedly came up on a call between Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin ahead of Sunday's meeting.
Yuri Ushakov, Russia's former US ambassador, said Trump listened to the Kremlin's assessment of the proposals and the two presidents left the call united in their belief that a temporary ceasefire proposed by the EU and Ukraine would instead prolong the conflict.
The US president - who initiated the call - acknowledged that Moscow had little interest in a ceasefire that would allow Ukraine to hold a referendum.
"I understand that position," he added.
Little further detail was offered, although Trump said he believed the Russian leader "wants Ukraine to succeed".
Meanwhile, strikes continued overnight In Ukraine.
Kyiv said 25 airstrikes were carried out by Russia on Sunday, 21 of which were shot down.
Russia's Ministry of Defence said 89 UAVs were intercepted by them on Sunday night - the vast majority of which were over the Bryansk region.