Trump and Zelensky meet at Mar a Lago to discuss a peace deal
Written By: Sofía García Andres
On December 28, 2025, Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump met at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to discuss efforts toward a peace agreement in the Russo-Ukrainian War, nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion began. President Trump announced that negotiators are getting closer to a peace deal, which diverged from Zelenskyy’s assertion that negotiators had reached about 90 % agreement on a 20-point peace framework. Trump voiced cautious confidence at the state of the peace discussions on the Ukrainian war, acknowledging that negotiations remain complex and offering no firm timeline for ending the war— a contrast with his past campaign rhetoric promising a rapid end to the conflict.
After more than three hours of talks, neither leader announced any major policy decisions that would bring the end of the conflict, as both emphasized the remaining complexities of ending the war that Russia started in early 2022. Trump insisted that no deadline had been set, but expressed his determination to end the conflict quickly. However, he claimed that some “thorny issues” remain that limit his ability to end the war. The main obstacle involves territorial questions,
especially over the future status of the Donbas region, where Russia controls significant territory. Ukraine has resisted calls to cede territory, and the sides have discussed compromise ideas such as transforming disputed areas into a free economic zone or demilitarized buffer — proposals that remain unresolved. The Donbas includes Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions — areas at the center of diplomatic contention. Moscow has pressed for formal control, while Kyiv insists decisions over territory should involve the Ukrainian people, potentially through a referendum.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin was at all times informed of the negotiations as President Trump spoke to him for over an hour before the discussions with the Ukrainian President began and indicated plans for further consultation with Moscow, though Russia has not participated directly in the talks. Furthermore, Zelensky and Trump spoke to European leaders in a phone call to discuss the recent developments and agreed that Trump would host the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Norway, as well as the NATO secretary general and the president of the European Commission in Washington in January.
Separately, the recent American intervention in Venezuela aroused hope among Ukrainians for the liberal involvement in ending authoritarian regimes. However, while praising the fall of Russia’s ally, others worry about inconsistent international norms that might hamper Ukraine’s own war against authoritarianism.