Baku, December 29, 2025 – The Europe Today: US President Donald Trump on Sunday said negotiations aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war have reached their “final stages” as he welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, according to media reports.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he believes talks are nearing a decisive point. “I think we’re in final stages of talking,” he said, warning that failure to reach an agreement could prolong the conflict with devastating human costs. “It’ll either end or it’s going to go on for a long time, and millions of additional people are going to be killed.”
Highlighting his previous diplomatic efforts, Trump said he has helped settle eight wars so far, describing the Russia-Ukraine conflict as the most challenging. “This is the most difficult one, but we’re going to get it done,” he added.
When asked about any deadline for Moscow and Kyiv to reach an agreement, the US president said he had set no fixed timeline. “I don’t have deadlines. My deadline is ending the war,” he said.
Trump noted that both President Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin want to make a deal, adding that he plans to speak again with Putin following his meeting with the Ukrainian leader to continue negotiations. Earlier on Sunday, Trump said he held a “good and very productive” phone call with the Russian president.
He also said a “strong” security agreement would be part of any settlement, with European nations expected to play a major role in protection arrangements. “The European nations have been really great. They’re very much in line with this meeting and getting a deal done,” Trump said.
President Zelenskyy, for his part, said recent delegate-level talks over the past month had helped advance negotiations between Kyiv and Washington. He added that he would discuss a proposed 20-point peace plan with President Trump during their meeting.
Following their public remarks, the two leaders held a closed-door lunch.
The US delegation included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, Jared Kushner, peace envoy Steve Witkoff, and other senior officials. Ukrainian Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov was among those representing Ukraine.
President Zelenskyy arrived in the United States on Saturday after a visit to neighboring Canada, where discussions also focused on the US-led plan to end the nearly four-year conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
