Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded his talks with US President Donald Trump without a peace deal, but he said US and Ukrainian teams will meet again soon and that a gathering of leaders — including those from Europe — will be held in Washington next month.
Zelenskyy on December 28 posted on social media that “we had a substantive discussion on all issues,” including matters concerning all-important security guarantees, at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
“We discussed all the aspects of the peace framework and achieved significant results,” Zelenskyy wrote.
“We also discussed the sequence of further actions. We agreed that security guarantees are key on the path to achieving a lasting peace.”
“We agreed that our teams would meet as early as next week to finalize all discussed matters. We also agreed with President Trump that he will host Ukrainian and European leaders in Washington, DC, in January,” Zelenskyy added.
Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy was the culmination of weeks of phone and shuttle diplomacy in efforts to end Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine — which has killed or wounded more than 1.5 million soldiers on both sides in nearly four years.
The meeting also marked the latest instance in which participants touted “progress” and “results” but did not provide details and vowed additional talks.
‘The Right Direction’
Following two hours of talks, Trump asserted that peace discussions were “moving in the right direction.” He did not mention the possibility of hosting leaders in Washington in January.
“We’re getting a lot closer, maybe very close…[talks are] “moving in the right direction.”
“Russia wants [the war] ended. Everyone wants it ended,” he told reporters without giving details.
Trump and Zelenskyy also conducted a call with European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and NATO chief Mark Rutte.
“Along with several other European leaders, I took part this evening in an exchange with Presidents Zelenskyy and Trump,” Macron wrote on social media. “Then I spoke [separately] with President Zelenskyy.”
“We are making progress on the security guarantees that will be central to building a just and lasting peace.”
“We will bring together the countries of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris in early January to finalize each country’s concrete contributions,” he added, referring to a group of Ukrainian allies who have indicated they might participate in a peacekeeping mission in the event of a cease-fire.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on social media that “Europe is ready to keep working with Ukraine and our US partners…Paramount to this effort is to have ironclad security guarantees [for Ukraine] from day one.”
Kyiv has been adamant in receiving security guarantees — particularly from the United States but also from Europe — and has resisted the Kremlin’s hard-line demands that include ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia.
During the joint news conference, Trump said that territorial issues — including the future of Ukraine’s Donbas region — had not been settled.
“It’s unresolved, but it’s getting a lot closer. That’s a very tough issue,” Trump said.
Trump Frustration
Trump, who said during his election campaign he could settle the war in one day, has been frustrated by his inability to use what he sees as his businessman’s acumen to end Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.
He has dispatched his chief envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow six times to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump himself met with the Russian leader in Alaska in August.
Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump son-in-law Jared Kusher, and defense chief Pete Hegseth joined the Trump meeting with Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian’s third with the US president since January.
‘The Whole World’
Russia did not immediately offer substantive comment following the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting and news conference.
Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, wrote on social media that “the whole world appreciates President Trump and his team’s peace efforts.”
Shortly before the talks began, Trump and Putin spoke by phone, a surprise call that the Kremlin said lasted more than an hour and was done at Trump’s request. In a post to social media, Trump described it as “good and very productive.”
Putin’s chief foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, said Putin and Trump agreed to not support a push for a temporary cease-fire ahead of a settlement– something Zelenskyy has called for.
Last month, the White House proposed a 28-point plan that was seen as heavily favorable to Russia. Zelenskyy and his negotiators – along with Kyiv’s European allies — have sought to draft counterproposals.
Zelenskyy’s 20-point plan, released last week, paved the way for the Ukrainian leader to fly to the United States and meet with Trump.
Little Sign Of Compromise
Amid the diplomacy and negotiations, Russia has shown little inclination for compromise, even refusing to consider a Christmas truce proposed by Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian forces fire a BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launch system toward Russian troops in the Donetsk region.
A day before the talks, Russia pounded the Ukrainian capital and surrounding districts leaving nearly 1 million homes without electricity amid temperatures hovering around freezing.
In another clear signal, Putin met with top military commanders, lauding battlefield successes, asserting Ukraine was to blame for the war, and showing no intention for compromise.
If Kyiv does not wish “to settle the matter peacefully,” Russia will achieve its objectives by force, Putin said, reiterating comments he has made several times in recent weeks.
With reporting by RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service and Reuters