Trump says Russia, Ukraine in 'final stages' of talks, predicts war will 'end' soon or 'go on for a long time'
President Donald Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago Sunday in an effort to end the Ukraine war.
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President Donald Trump will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday in the latest effort to close out four years of war.
Zelenskyy will meet Trump in Florida at the president's Mar-a-Lago estate, where he has spent much of his time over the holiday period. Ukraine's leader emphasized the need to negotiate from a position of strength in a public statement released prior to their meeting.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiations have repeatedly broken down over where the final territorial lines will fall in a peace agreement.
"Ukraine is willing to do whatever it takes to stop this war," Zelenskyy wrote on X. "For us, priority number one – or the only priority – is ending the war. For us, the priority is peace. We need to be strong at the negotiating table. To be strong, we need the support of the world: Europe and the United States."
TRUMP'S TEAM REPORTS CONCRETE PROGRESS IN UKRAINE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS WITH EUROPEAN PARTNERS
President Donald Trump will meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Sunday at Mar-a-Lago (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
"In this war of Russia against Ukraine, we want peace, and Russia demonstrates a desire to continue the war. If the whole world – Europe and America – is on our side, together we will stop Putin. Because together we will all want the same thing: an end to the war, peace – a normal peace, a sustainable peace, safe for the whole world," he continued.
"If anyone – whether the U.S. or Europe – is on Russia’s side, this means the war will continue. There are no other options here. And this is a risk for all countries in the world. Because Russia will not stop, regardless of any agreements, any eloquent messages from them. They will not stop at Ukraine," Zelenskyy warned.
Rescuers work on the scene of a building damaged by a Russian attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)
Zelenskyy's statement came after Russia redoubled its attacks against Kyiv, sending an overnight assault involving hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles on Saturday. Zelenskyy said the attack put the "true attitude" of and his inner circle on display.
