Ukraine Peace Talks: Progress Made, But Thorny Issues Loom

“Trump & Zelensky reach 90% of Ukraine peace plan, but thorny land issues remain unresolved. Security guarantees still in focus for Kyiv.”

sarah

Dec 29, 2025 - 08:52

Ukraine Peace Talks: Progress Made, But Thorny Issues Loom

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky said during talks in Florida that progress had been made toward ending the war in Ukraine, but the US president acknowledged that the territorial issue remains "unresolved."

While both the US and Ukrainian presidents described the talks as "excellent," Trump said that "one or two very difficult issues" remain – particularly regarding territory.

Speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago, Zelensky said they had agreed on "90%" of a 20-point peace plan, while Trump said security guarantees for Ukraine were "about 95%" complete.

Zelensky later said that US and Ukrainian teams would meet next week for further discussions on issues aimed at ending Russia's nearly four-year-old war in Ukraine.

In a statement on the Telegram messaging app, Zelensky said, "We had substantive discussions on all issues and highly appreciate the progress made by the Ukrainian and American teams in recent weeks."

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow currently controls approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory.

Trump said the proposal to turn the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, which is largely controlled by Russia, into a demilitarized zone remains "unresolved."

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"Some of that land has been taken. Some of that land may still be taken, but it could be taken in the next few months," he told reporters after the meeting.

Moscow currently controls approximately 75% of the Donetsk region and nearly 99% of neighboring Luhansk. These regions are collectively known as the Donbas.

Russia wants Ukraine to withdraw from the small portion of the Donbas it still controls, while Kyiv has insisted that the region could become a free economic zone protected by Ukrainian forces. The US president has repeatedly shifted his position on Ukraine's lost territories, and in September he surprised observers by suggesting that Ukraine might be able to reclaim them. He later reversed his stance.

He said, "[It's] a very difficult issue. An issue that will be resolved."

Trump said that security guarantees for Ukraine were "95% complete," but made no formal promise of logistical support or troop deployment to help defend Ukraine against future attacks. Trump raised the possibility of trilateral talks between the US, Russia, and Ukraine, saying they could happen "at the right time."

While the US president wants to add the Ukraine-Russia war to the list of conflicts he claims to have ended, he warned that stalled or canceled negotiations that go "very badly" could mean the war continues.

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Earlier, Trump had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone. While the US president did not provide many details about the call, he said he was confident that the Russian leader "wants Ukraine to succeed."

At the same time, Trump acknowledged that Moscow was not very interested in a ceasefire that would allow Ukraine to hold a referendum.

"I understand that position," he said.

Russian foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said the call was initiated by Trump and that he and Putin discussed the latest EU and Ukrainian proposals for ending the war.

Ushakov, a former Russian ambassador to the US, said Trump heard the Kremlin's assessment of the proposals, and both presidents ended the call with the belief that the temporary ceasefire proposed by the EU and Ukraine would only prolong the conflict.

Zelensky suggested that Ukrainian officials could meet at the White House in January, possibly with European leaders, as US and Ukrainian delegations finalize plans for further talks. In a call following a meeting with European allies, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the "good progress" made in the Florida talks, while also emphasizing that Ukraine should receive "firm security guarantees from day one."

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