Trump Says Ukraine Is Making Progress Peace Negotiations Say “Thorny” Problems Still Exist

Trump claims that although discussions to end the crisis in Ukraine have progressed, they are still complicated by unresolved territory and security issues.

While both Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that significant challenges still exist, notably with regard to territorial issues and security assurances, they indicated that progress was made toward ending the war in Ukraine during discussions in Florida.

After the meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, the US president told reporters that while the talks were “great,” “one or two very thorny issues” remained unresolved. He stated that the most important of these was the territorial issue, since Russia still insists that Ukraine give up more land.

According to Zelensky, the negotiations had produced significant results, with Kyiv and Washington reaching a consensus on around 90% of a proposed 20-point peace plan. Trump, for his part, stated that talks about security assurances for Ukraine were “nearly 95% done,” although he refrained from making any firm promises regarding specific actions like army deployments or logistical help.

In a statement shared on Telegram, Zelensky stated, “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.” In order to continue talks aimed at putting an end to Russia’s nearly four-year war against Ukraine, he continued, US and Ukrainian delegations would meet again next week.

Approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory is currently under Russian occupation, which began with a full-scale invasion in February 2022. Trump pointed out that plans pertaining to the eastern Ukrainian area of Donbas are still pending. Approximately 75% of the Donetsk area and almost all of neighboring Luhansk, together referred to as Donbas, are under Moscow’s influence.

Trump acknowledged the complexity of the situation when he stated, “A proposal to turn Donbas into a demilitarized zone is still unresolved.” Ukraine has proposed that the territory may operate as a free economic zone supervised by Ukrainian soldiers, while Russia wants Ukraine to leave the remaining areas of the region under Kyiv’s authority.

Regarding Ukraine’s territorial losses, Trump has already given conflicting signals. At one time, he suggested that Kyiv might return occupied territory, but he later changed his mind. He remarked, “That is a very tough issue.” “A problem that will be fixed.”

Additionally, the US president suggested that trilateral negotiations between the US, Russia, and Ukraine might occur “at the right time.” He cautioned, though, that talks can still stall or fail and the war might carry on.

The Kremlin claimed that Trump started the phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier. According to Russian foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, the leaders talked about EU and Ukrainian offers and decided that a short-term ceasefire may make the crisis worse rather than better.

European leaders welcomed signs of progress despite the tone of caution. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, commended the Florida negotiations but emphasized that Ukraine must have “ironclad security guarantees” from the start. In order to finalize specific promises, Kyiv’s allies will meet in Paris early next year, according to French President Emmanuel Macron.

Both Washington and Kyiv have shown optimism tempered by realism as diplomatic efforts pick up steam, recognizing that although much ground has been covered, the most delicate issues of territory and long-term security still need to be resolved.