'No deadline, focus is on ending war': Zelenskyy, Trump hold high-stakes Ukraine peace talks in Florida

US President Donald Trump hosted Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Florida estate on Sunday for crucial discussions aimed at ending the war with Russia.

The leaders spoke briefly to reporters outside the Mar-a-Lago estate before sitting down to talk over a new plan to resolve the conflict.

‼️ President Zelensky of Ukraine has arrived at Mar-a-Lago for the meeting with President Trump pic.twitter.com/vXhuMmknSn

— Vitamvivere (@Vitamvivere) December 28, 2025

When asked whether he believes Putin is serious about peace this time, Trump said, “I do, I do. I think he is, I think they both are.” He added, “We’ve got to make a deal, got to get it done … I think both presidents want to make a deal.”

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Trump’s renewed optimism comes even as many in Europe remain skeptical of Putin’s intentions, particularly after Russia launched another major attack on Kyiv just as Zelenskyy was heading to Florida. “I can say that I believe Ukraine has made some very strong attacks also, and I don’t say that negatively. I think you probably have to,” Trump noted. He also told Zelenskyy that he would brief him on his recent call with Putin.

After Putin-Trump talk, Russia presses Ukraine on Donbas

Following the call, Russia urged Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the eastern Donbas region, calling it a “brave decision” necessary to end the conflict. “Ukraine should now take the ‘brave decision’ to pull out of the Donbas ‘without delay’,” Kremlin diplomatic advisor Yuri Ushakov told reporters.

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The demand focuses on Ukraine leaving the fifth of Donetsk still under its control, a key point for Moscow.

Ushakov said that both Putin and Trump agreed any temporary ceasefire would only prolong the conflict.

“Russia and the United States share the same position, which is that the Ukrainian and European proposal for a temporary ceasefire (…) would only prolong the conflict and lead to a resumption of hostilities,” he explained. Rejecting a pause, Russia argues it would allow Ukraine to rearm, insisting instead on a final settlement addressing the “root causes of the conflict.”

Ukraine signals willingness

Meanwhile, a revised peace plan, shaped by weeks of intense US-Ukraine negotiations, proposes freezing the war roughly along current front lines. Under the plan, Ukraine could pull back some troops in the east, opening the door to demilitarised buffer zones. The proposal marks Kyiv’s clearest indication yet that it may consider limited territorial concessions.

That said, it stops short of meeting Moscow’s core demand: the plan does not call for Ukraine to withdraw from roughly 20 percent of the eastern Donetsk region still under Kyiv’s control.

Zelenskyy struck a cautiously upbeat tone during his meeting with Trump, stressing the importance of coordination. “It’s very important to our teams talk about strategy,” he said.

After brief remarks, the two leaders moved into the president’s dining room with senior aides, while Trump asked reporters to leave so they could continue discussions over lunch.

Meanwhile, Russia has accused Ukraine and its European allies of trying to “torpedo” an earlier US-brokered effort to halt the fighting. Moscow’s position has been strengthened by recent battlefield gains, with Russia announcing on Saturday that it had captured two additional towns in eastern Ukraine.