On December 28, U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky met in the state of Florida, Adyrna’s correspondent reports.
At a joint press conference following the talks, the White House chief described the meeting as “very great.” He noted that the two presidents had also spoken by phone with leaders of European countries and NATO.
Trump emphasized that many issues were discussed during the negotiations.
“I think we have come quite close — even very close — to reaching a peace agreement. Ninety-one percent of Ukrainians want the war to end. Russia also wants it to end. Everyone wants the war to be over,” he said.
For his part, Zelensky stated that, based on the results of the talks, the sides had reached a common understanding regarding Ukraine’s security guarantees, adding that 90 percent of the peace plan had been agreed upon.
However, the U.S. president noted that although about 90 percent of the peace plan has been fundamentally agreed, one or two issues remain unresolved, the most difficult of which is the territorial issue.
“It would be better for Ukraine to make the deal now; otherwise, it could lose even more territory and people,” Trump said.
He added that Ukraine had fought bravely and stressed that “the time has come to stop the conflict.” Trump also stated that settlement issues should be resolved through a nationwide referendum in Ukraine or after approval by parliament.
In addition, Trump once again said that the main responsibility for Ukraine’s future security guarantees would fall on European countries.
At the end of the press conference, it was reported that the next meeting between Trump and Zelensky could take place on December 29.
