Ukrainian President discusses Ukraine peace plan with Donald Trump. The conversations are positive. Vladimir Putin continues to try to sabotage the negotiations.
Dec 29, 2025, 04:27Dec 29, 2025, 04:27
Renzo Ruf, Washington / ch media
The American President expressed confidence on Sunday that the war in Ukraine could soon be ended. Both parties to the conflict have an interest in stopping fighting activities, said Donald Trump in Palm Beach (Florida) after an hour-long conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj in his private Mar-a-Lago residence. “We are getting closer and closer,” said the American president about an end to the war that has been raging for almost four years.
Trump and Zelensky were positive about how the talks went.Image: keystone
The conversation with Zelensky, which lasted the entire afternoon, was “excellent” and “outstanding,” Trump said at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart. Zelensky expressed similar satisfaction with the progress made. He said that the two delegations discussed “all aspects” of the Ukraine peace plan, which is now said to contain 20 points.
Almost all military sticking points have been solved, the Ukrainian said; Ukraine and the USA have agreed on security guarantees for the Eastern European country. The role that Europe should play in the future still needs to be negotiated.
Russia does not want a temporary ceasefire
There also appear to be some open questions about Kiev’s territorial concessions. “The country” is a “delicate issue,” said Trump when asked about the future of Donbass. Zelenskyj, in turn, said that Ukraine’s position was known and that he could not independently decide on cessions of territory.
In the eyes of the Kremlin, any territorial concessions by Ukraine are the Achilles heel of the peace plan. Vladimir Putin therefore spoke out in a telephone conversation with Trump on Sunday in favor of an “immediate” decision by Ukraine regarding the Donbas, as his advisor Yuri Ushakov later reported.
Ushakov further said: A temporary ceasefire during which Ukraine could organize a referendum on the future of Donbas is not in Putin’s interests. Trump agreed with him on this point: he shared Putin’s fear that fighting could flare up again. But this does not have to mean the end of hopes for peace, the American also said. Maybe there is a way to get around Putin’s concerns.
For once, the Russian president appears to have failed to fully convince Trump of the Russian position before an important conversation with Zelensky. But the American president still showered the Russian ruler with praise. He said this about Putin, who has been waging war against Ukraine for almost four years: “Russia wants Ukraine to be successful.” Trump at least admitted that this might sound a bit strange.
Trump also claimed that Putin had been “very generous” in his attitude towards Ukraine’s success and, among other things, had guaranteed the supply of electricity at low prices. Zelenskyj acknowledged these statements by making a face in front of the media representatives.
Trump planned another telephone conversation with Putin on Sunday evening. According to Trump, the first one lasted two and a half hours. The Kremlin spoke of 75 minutes.
European allies back in Washington in January
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who along with a number of Western heads of state and government was informed about the talks by Trump and Zelensky, expressed satisfaction with the progress made in a statement on Sunday. It is now “crucially important” that Ukraine has “unwavering security guarantees” from day one, she said in a statement.
Zelensky had previously announced that Ukraine’s European allies would probably meet with Trump again in Washington in January to finalize the peace plan. Trump distributed compliments to European leaders. “We want to work with Europe,” and Europe will take on most of the work, said the American president. (aargauerzeitung.ch)
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