Trump-Zelenskiy Warm, Peace Not Yet Near
US President Donald Trump praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy after a meeting at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, saying there had been "a lot of progress" regarding the possibility of a peace deal. However, Trump emphasized that there had been no breakthrough, that the process could take several weeks, and that there was no definitive timeline.
The two met for lunch and then held phone calls with several European leaders to provide updates. Despite the cordial atmosphere at their press conference, Trump was no closer to his goal of ending the war that began with Russia's invasion in 2022.
Zelenskiy said the peace framework was "90%" agreed upon. He added that US-Ukraine security guarantees were 100% agreed upon, and US-European-Ukrainian security guarantees were almost agreed upon. He said the military dimension was 100% agreed upon, and the "prosperity plan" was still being finalized.
The most sticky point remains the future of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, which is partially occupied by Russian forces. Trump acknowledged that the issue was not yet resolved but claimed they were "getting closer." Trump also left open the possibility of speaking to the Ukrainian parliament if necessary, and envisioned a three-way meeting with Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin “at the appropriate time.”
Trump said he previously had a “good and very productive” phone call with Putin and planned to speak again after meeting Zelenskiy. He also targeted a meeting with Zelenskiy and European leaders in January, and Zelenskiy later wrote in an interview with X that the meeting would take place in Washington. While diplomacy proceeded, the war continued to escalate: on Saturday, Moscow launched a major attack with more than 500 drones and 40 missiles targeting Kyiv and key energy facilities, killing one person and leaving about a third of Kyiv’s more than 3 million residents without heating. (asd)
Source: Newsmaker.id
