Trump hosts Zelensky in
Florida and holds call with
Putin in latest push for
Ukraine peace deal
• Zelensky meeting underway: President Donald Trump said he believes both Kyiv and Moscow want to strike a deal to end the Ukraine war and that negotiations are nearing their final stages as he hosts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at his Florida resort today.
• Calls with Putin: Any potential peace deal would need buy-in from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who spoke with Trump by phone today ahead of Zelensky’s visit. Trump and Putin agreed to speak again after the meeting in Florida.
• Massive Russian attack: The latest flurry of US diplomacy comes shortly after Russia launched the year’s longest sustained assault on Kyiv, killing at least two people, wounding dozens and leaving many without residential heating amid freezing temperatures in the Ukrainian capital.
Various Trump administration officials present for talks at Mar-a-Lago
Various administration officials and allies flanked President Donald Trump as the US and Ukrainian delegations sat down for talks at Mar-a-Lago.
In attendance were Trump’s foreign envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine, White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Josh Gruenbaum, commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service at the General Services Administration, who was present at talks with Russian officials last week.
Reporters were told to leave shortly before the meeting began.
“We have the makings of a deal,” Trump says ahead of Mar-a-Lago meeting with Zelensky
President Donald Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, this afternoon, telling reporters he believes both that Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin want to make a peace deal.
Pressed on whether he believes Putin is serious about peace, Trump told CNN, “I do — I think he is. I think they both are.”
But asked whether today’s meeting will lead to a deal, Trump was more equivocal.
“It depends. I do believe we have the makings of a deal,” he said. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has proved “difficult” to solve, he added, but “we’re going to get it done; we’re going to have a great meeting today.”
Trump declined to weigh in on whether he expects a deal before the end of the year. “I don’t have deadlines,” he said. “You know what my deadline is? Getting the war ended.”
Pressed on Russia’s continued aerial bombardment of Ukraine, Trump suggested Putin was still serious about pursuing an end to the war, pointing out Ukraine had carried out its own attacks on Russia.
Putin is “very serious, I think I can say that,” he told reporters. “I believe Ukraine has made some very strong attacks also, and I don’t say that negatively. I think you probably have to.”
Trump also confirmed he planned to speak again today with the Russian president following the conclusion of his talks with Zelensky. The two spoke earlier ahead of the Ukraine-US meeting.
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