President Donald Trump continued his aggressive attempts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine on Sunday, hosting Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago resort to try and land a breakthrough.
Standing next to the Ukrainian president, clad in a black jacket and button-down shirt, Trump declared “we have the makings of a deal” between the long-warring countries.
But the president — who has been stymied in his attempts to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine — acknowledged that the situation is “pretty complex, but not that complex” and there was no deadline for reaching a deal except “getting the war ended.”
There are quite a few substantive issues still obstructing a deal between the two countries, and it’s unclear how serious Russian President Vladimir Putin is about reaching an agreement.
“We have two willing countries. We have two willing partners,” Trump insisted. “Either it’s going to end or it’s going to go on for a very long time.”
Following their comments to the press, Trump and Zelenskyy retreated behind closed doors for a meeting including Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who Trump has praised for helping to broker other deals such as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Zelenskyy came to Florida backing a new version of a 20-point plan for peace, which has been through many iterations as Ukraine and Russia negotiate with the U.S. serving as intermediary.
One of the thorniest issues are security guarantees for Ukraine, including a possible peace-time army stationed in Europe funded by Western countries.
It’s unclear how Putin will respond to the latest draft of the 20-point plan. Trump — who spoke with Putin before the meeting and said he would do so afterwards — was asked about heavy Russian attacks on Kyiv in the days leading up to the summit.
He responded by saying he believes “Ukraine has made some very strong attacks too,” suggesting, without proof, that Zelenkskyy’s country was involved in some explosions inside Russia.
Before Zelenzkyy arrived, Trump’s phone conversation with Putin lasted for one hour and 15 minutes, according to Putin aide Yury Ushakov, who described the call as “friendly, good-natured and business-like.”
Ushakov, in a press briefing following the call, said Putin emphasized the need to build upon understandings established during August’s bilateral summit in Anchorage and subsequent negotiations between the countries.
“Most significantly, the Russian and U.S. presidents share a broadly similar view that the temporary ceasefire proposed by Ukraine and Europe – under the pretext of preparing for a referendum or other such measures – would merely prolong the conflict and risk a renewed escalation on the battlefield,” Ushakov said. According to Ukraine’s constitution, any changes to the country’s territorial borders must be “resolved exclusively by an All-Ukrainian referendum.” Zelenskyy recently conceded he would be willing to hold a referendum vote on proposed territorial changes. As Zelenskyy prepared to head to the U.S. on Saturday, he received an intelligence report alleging Russia is taking steps to undermine a potential referendum vote. Ushakov put pressure on Ukraine to decide on territorial concessions. “Given the evolving situation on the front lines, it would be in the Ukrainian regime’s interest to make such a decision regarding Donbass without further delay,” Putin’s aide said. During the call, Putin and Trump also agreed to establish two working groups, each focused on security and economic issues, likely in early January. Trump has been frustrated in his attempts to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine after vowing to stop the war within 24 hours of returning to the White House. His allies are quick to point to the shaky truce in the Middle East as proof that the president is deserving of a Nobel prize. “We can move very rapidly,” Trump claimed. “They both want to see it ended.”
Erum Salam is a breaking news reporter and producer for MS NOW. She previously was a breaking news reporter for The Guardian.
Julia Jester covers politics for MS NOW and is based in Washington, D.C. Recommended
