Trump says Putin ‘serious’ about peace as he welcomes Zelensky for talks

Donald Trump said he thinks he has the “makings of a deal” to end the war between Russia and Ukraine as he headed into talks in Florida with Volodymyr Zelensky.

“I think both presidents want to make a deal,” the US leader told reporters as he greeted the Ukrainian president outside his Mar-a-Lago resort.

He added: “I do believe that we have the makings of a deal that’s good for Ukraine, good for everybody.”

He insisted Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who he spoke to earlier in the day, is “very serious” about peace, despite Moscow launching attacks on Kyiv ahead of the Florida meeting.

Mr Trump said he and Mr Zelensky also expect to speak with European leaders and that he will call Mr Putin back after the meetings.

Mr Zelensky, who Mr Trump praised as “very brave”, said territorial concessions will be discussed in Florida. They have so far been a red line for his country.

He said 90% of the 20-point draft proposal is “done” after talks between his and Mr Trump’s negotiators.

Mr Trump said the deal could bring “great economic benefits” for Ukraine and talks are in the “final stages”, but he does not have a deadline to conclude them.

There will be a “strong” security agreement, with European nations “very much involved”, he said, but whether to return frozen Russian assets or use them to support Ukraine has not been determined.

The Ukrainian president said he had spoken to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to prepare for the meeting.

He thanked Sir Keir for the “constant co-ordination” after speaking to him in a “detailed phone call” ahead of the talks.

Sir Keir reaffirmed the UK’s “unwavering support” for Ukraine in the call, while both welcomed ongoing diplomatic efforts and the US president’s continued engagement in securing peace, Downing Street said.

Mr Zelensky said in post on X: “These are some of the most active diplomatic days of the year right now, and a lot can be decided before the New Year.”

He had stopped in Canada to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney on his way to the US talks, and spoke with European allies on Saturday.

Mr Trump meanwhile said he had a “good and very productive” call with Mr Putin on Sunday morning.

It comes after Russia launched missile and drone attacks on Kyiv a day ahead of the talks, which Mr Zelensky said “really shows that Putin doesn’t want peace”.

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.

But key details are still to be worked out, with territorial concessions the most sensitive of the issues the two leaders will discuss.

On Christmas Eve, Mr Zelensky said the US and Ukraine had reached a consensus on a number of critical issues, and indicated he was open to creating a demilitarised zone on his country’s eastern border with Russia.

But he has continued to resist Russian demands that Ukraine gives up two of its eastern regions, Luhansk and Donetsk.

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.