Donald Trump said talks to secure a US-backed peace deal for Ukraine are “closer than ever before” after he met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Florida.
But the two leaders acknowledged there are still “thorny issues” remaining.
Mr Trump, the US president, has said talks on a security guarantee – a key plank of a potential Ukraine peace deal – are “close to 95%” done.
During a joint press conference, Mr Trump said: “I really believe we’re probably… closer than, by far, closer than ever before – with both parties.
“We had sometimes when he was close and President Putin wasn’t, they would have President Putin was close and he wasn’t.
“You saw that in the White House, but, but I think they both want to see it happen.”
He said there were “one or two very thorny issues” remaining.
The two leaders also held a conference call with Nato chief Mark Rutte and European leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer, during their meeting at the US president’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
They agreed that Mr Trump would host European leaders and a Ukrainian delegation for further discussions in January, possibly in Washington.
The talks in Florida are the latest stage in Mr Trump’s year-long effort to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine, having previously said he would end the war on the first day of his term in office.
Mr Zelensky has said the draft peace plan includes a US commitment to provide guarantees mirroring the Nato alliance’s Article 5, which means an attack on Ukraine would trigger a collective military response from the US and its allies.
He said he and Mr Trump discussed all aspects of the peace framework and that the 20-point draft plan was 90% agreed, while US-Ukraine security guarantees were “100% agreed” and US-Europe-Ukraine security guarantees were “almost agreed”.
Mr Trump said it was “very complicated stuff” but agreed it “could be close to 95%” done.
The prospect of creating a free trade zone in the Donbas region was a “big issue” that had not yet been resolved, he said.
Mr Zelensky said last week that he would be willing to withdraw troops from Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland as part of a plan to end the war, if Russia also pulls back and the area becomes a demilitarised zone monitored by international forces.
Asked if he was prepared to see the Donbas become a free economic or demilitarised zone, Mr Zelensky reiterated that such an agreement would require either the approval of parliament or the Ukrainian people in a referendum.
“If the plan will be very difficult for our society… our society has to choose and has to vote, because it’s their land, the land not of one person. It’s the land of our nation,” he said.
He suggested that refugees living outside Ukraine would be eligible to take part in a referendum, but said it would be logistically complex to organise such a vote.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has not agreed to a ceasefire to allow such a referendum to take place, Mr Trump said.
Mr Trump, who spoke to the Russian leader on the phone earlier on Sunday, said he had discussed Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction with him and that “Russia’s going to be helping”.
He earlier insisted Mr Putin is “very serious” about peace, despite Moscow launching attacks on Ukraine ahead of the Florida meeting.
The US leader said he would call Mr Putin back after the meetings.
Mr Zelensky has continued to resist Russian demands that Ukraine gives up two of its eastern regions, Luhansk and Donetsk.
In the aftermath of the meeting, Mr Zelensky thanked Mr Trump and said representatives from Ukraine and the United States “would meet as early as next week to finalise all discussed matters”.
“We discussed all the aspects of the peace framework and achieved significant results,” he said.
“We also discussed the sequence of further actions. We agreed that security guarantees are key on the path to achieving a lasting peace, and our teams will continue working on all aspects.”
Russia is also likely to object to a role for Nato forces in monitoring a ceasefire, which European leaders, including Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron, have said must form part of any deal.
Other European demands include allowing Ukraine to maintain a peacetime military of 800,000 troops and to join the EU, while the US has reportedly offered unspecified security guarantees.
Sir Keir said he was eager to sustain the momentum of Ukraine peace talks in the call with the US and Ukrainian presidents and European leaders.
He and other leaders underlined the importance of “robust security guarantees and reaffirmed the urgency of ending this barbaric war as soon as possible”, Downing Street said.
“The Prime Minister emphasised the UK’s commitment to working closely with partners to sustain momentum in the coming days – with President Trump highlighting his leadership in driving co-ordinated international support for Ukraine as talks continue.”
