The meeting between President Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zalensky that took place Sunday at Mar-a-Lago – “the White House of the South” – has concluded, with Trump saying “we could be very close” to a deal ending the war between Russia and Ukraine.
In a post-meeting press conference, President Trump said he and Zelensky had “made a lot of progress” during the meeting and had discussed around “95 percent” of the issues holding up a peace plan between the two warring nations, noting it was the deadliest war since World War II. “We’ll see if it gets done, it’s very close certainly,” said the president, adding, “Nobody would have a chance at even getting it to where it is now. Nobody would have thought that was possible.”
.@POTUS delivers remarks upon meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr @ZelenskyyUa at Mar-a-Lago: “We had a terrific meeting. We discussed a lot of things. As you know, I had an excellent phone call with President Putin… and I do think we’re getting a lot closer.” pic.twitter.com/tIHjR0wko2
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 28, 2025
Trump and Zelensky also spoke by phone with European leaders, including France’s Emmanuel Macron, Finland’s Alexander Stubb, Poland’s Karol Nawrocki, Norway’s Jonas Gahr Støre, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, United Kingdom’s Keir Starmer, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, NATO’s Mark Rutte, and the European Commission’s Ursula von der Leyen. Trump remarked that he and Zelensky thought it “was appropriate” to touch base with those officials who lead countries, as Trump has noted in the past, that are in much closer proximity to Russia and Ukraine than is the United States.
READ MORE: ‘Final Stages’: Trump Meets With Zelensky to End War, Spars With the Media
Trump to Make Year-End Peace Push That Even the Nobel Committee Will Find Hard to Ignore
When it came to specifics, President Trump said “land” was probably the thorniest issue holding up a peace deal. “Some of that land has been taken. Some of that land may be up for grabs. It may be taken over a period … a number of months,” said the president. “And you’re better off making a deal now.”
Q: “What are the thorniest issues still unresolved?”@POTUS: “The land. Some of that land has been taken… You’re better off making a deal now.” pic.twitter.com/X21Zz3Tt5E
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 28, 2025
It looks like a working group made up of Trump advisors Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Marco Rubio, General Dan “Razin” Caine, and possibly Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, plus a contingent from Ukraine, will now make a push to move the peace process along.
.@POTUS: “The working group is going to be composed of Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, General “Razin” Caine, Marco Rubio, and a few other people… I think Pete Hegseth should be on that working group.” pic.twitter.com/K1dnmVq7aO
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 28, 2025
As for the timing of a deal, President Trump said, “In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other… it’s been a very difficult negotiation.” And as for a visit to Ukraine, Trump said, “I’m not sure that it would be really necessary, but if it would help save 25,000 lives a month… I would certainly be willing to do that.”
Earlier in the day, ahead of his sit-down with Zelensky, President Trump had a nearly two-and-a-half hour phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Trump described as “excellent.” President Trump quipped, “We didn’t talk about the weather.”
.@POTUS on his call with Putin: “I saw a very interesting President Putin today… I think we’re going to get there… I was on the phone with him for almost two-and-a-half hours. We discussed a lot of things. We didn’t talk about the weather.” pic.twitter.com/DUilLAh6lc
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 28, 2025
The bottom line for President Trump seems to be a definitive end to the bloodshed. At Sunday’s press conference, he said, “Everybody wants [the war] ended… I want it ended because I don’t want to see so many people dying.”
You can watch the entire post-meeting press conference between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky here:
President Trump Delivers Remarks in a Bilateral Meeting with the President of Ukraine https://t.co/u8JSAMHCAq
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 28, 2025
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