New talks between United States President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have narrowed key gaps in efforts to end the war in Ukraine, though unresolved disputes over land and security guarantees continue to weigh on negotiations.
The leaders met in Florida and emerged sounding optimistic, while acknowledging that some of the most sensitive questions remain unsettled.
Trump told reporters after the talks at Mar-a-Lago that negotiations had advanced but warned that “one or two very thorny issues” were still standing in the way of a final deal.
Zelensky echoed the positive tone, saying the discussions were productive and that broad agreement had been reached on most parts of a proposed peace framework.
According to Zelensky, Ukrainian and American negotiators have already aligned on “90%” of a 20-point peace plan aimed at ending the conflict.
Trump added that discussions on Ukraine’s security arrangements were “close to 95%” complete, though he stopped short of outlining how those guarantees would be enforced.
Zelensky later said technical teams from both countries would resume talks next week to address the remaining areas of disagreement linked to ending the war that began nearly four years ago.
“We had a substantive conversation on all issues and highly value the progress that the Ukrainian and American teams have made over the past weeks,” Zelensky said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and has since seized roughly a fifth of the country’s territory. The most complex disputes centre on eastern Ukraine, particularly the Donbas region, which remains largely under Russian control.
Trump said the proposal to designate Donbas as a demilitarised zone had yet to be agreed upon.
“Some of that land has been taken,” he said. “Some of that land is maybe up for grabs, but it may be taken over the next period of a number of months.”
Russian forces currently occupy about 75% of Donetsk and nearly all of Luhansk, the two regions that make up Donbas.
Moscow has demanded that Ukraine withdraw from the small portions of the region it still holds, a condition Kyiv has refused.
Ukraine has instead proposed that Donbas be treated as a free economic zone secured by Ukrainian forces, a suggestion Russia has not accepted.
Trump acknowledged that reaching agreement on territory would be difficult. “[That] is a very tough issue,” he said. “One that will get resolved.”
The US president has previously sent mixed signals on the future of occupied land.
In September, he surprised observers by suggesting Ukraine could regain territory taken by Russia, before later reversing that position.
On security guarantees, Trump said plans were “95% done,” but did not confirm whether the United States would provide troops, equipment, or long-term protection to prevent future attacks on Ukraine.
Trump also suggested that talks involving Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow together could take place at a later stage, saying such a meeting could happen “at the right time.”
While Trump has frequently said he wants to bring the war to an end, he cautioned that negotiations could still collapse if discussions “go really badly,” allowing the conflict to continue.
Earlier, Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Although he did not share details of the conversation, Trump said he believed Putin “wants Ukraine to succeed.”
Trump also said he understood Russia’s resistance to a ceasefire that would allow Ukraine to organise a referendum. “I understand that position,” he said.
Russian foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said Trump initiated the call and that the two leaders discussed recent proposals put forward by Ukraine and the European Union.
Ushakov said Trump listened to Moscow’s assessment and that both leaders agreed a temporary ceasefire proposed by Europe and Ukraine would likely prolong the fighting rather than end it.
Zelensky said Ukrainian officials could travel to Washington in January, possibly alongside European leaders, as talks move toward final stages.
European leaders responded positively to the Florida meeting. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed what she called “good progress” while stressing that Ukraine must receive “ironclad security guarantees from day one.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said a meeting of Ukraine’s allies would take place in Paris early next month to focus on security commitments.
“We will bring together the countries of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris in early January to finalise each one's concrete contributions,” Macron said on X after speaking with Zelensky and Trump.
