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By Peter Aitken and John Feng
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President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky have commenced their meeting at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday as the pair seek to make significant progress on agreeing to a peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war that began nearly four years ago.
Trump revealed in a post on Truth Social that he spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of his meeting with Zelensky, adding that he had a "good and very productive telephone call" with the Russian leader.
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Why It Matters
Trump repeatedly claimed prior to winning last year's presidential election that he would quickly end the conflict in Ukraine if he was president, and just days after his electoral victory he spoke to Putin and Zelensky by phone. However, Trump soon found that the situation in Ukraine would prove more complicated than he initially thought.
Negotiations have continued over the past 11 months, with Trump seeming to change his mind on how the eventual peace deal should unfold—first that Ukraine should prepare to concede territory to Russia, including land that Moscow had not yet taken; then saying that Ukraine could retake all of its land.
Trump has also bickered with both leaders from arguing with Zelensky on national TV to admitting that Putin is likely "tapping" him along and may not be interested in peace despite a high-profile visit to Alaska, for which Trump took much criticism for rolling out the red carpet for his Russian counterpart and walking away with no assurances of a peace deal.
What To Know
Sunday has marked a potential turning point in peace talks as Trump and Zelensky are set to meet at the president's Florida residence.
The meeting follows several days of positive updates from Zelensky regarding peace talks and negotiations through U.S. mediators, including praise for finding "new ideas" on how to reach a deal and saying that it could finally see a vote in Ukraine.
Trump greeted Zelensky and addressed reporters before adjourning to Mar-a-Lago's dining room for the formal meeting. Trump said both his counterparts "want it to end," referring to the war, but stressed he has "no deadline" in getting a deal done.
“This gentleman has worked very hard, and is very brave, and his people are very brave," Trump added, referring to Zelensky.
Trump was accompanied by many of his advisers and Cabinet members, including special 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, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service at the General Services Administration Josh Gruenbaum, who attended talks with Russian officials last week.
Reporters were told to leave the room shortly before the meeting commenced.
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Expectations For Trump-Zelensky Meeting
Trump's call with Putin ahead of the meeting is not unusual, as he has spoken to Putin around the time of previous meetings with Zelensky in a bid to have both leaders' positions in mind when discussing the details of a peace deal.
Zelensky said Friday that the meeting will address security guarantees for Ukraine as they discuss a new 20-point plan that will replace the initial 28-point plan Trump proposed last month, although Zelensky stressed that it remains to be seen if "anything will be finalized by the end."
Some of the other key points will be an "economic guarantee" and "territorial issues," such as the fate of the Donbas, which Russia insists must remain in its control while Ukraine has rejected any such claim. As of Sunday, Russia has control of most of Luhansk and around 70 percent of Donetsk, both of which make up the Donbas.
Zelensky last week, however, admitted that he could consider withdrawing troops from the eastern-most part of the country to create a demilitarized zone that international forces would monitor, although Russia has yet to agree to any such reciprocal withdrawal.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday: "I just had a good and very productive telephone call with President Putin of Russia prior to my meeting, at 1:00 P.M. today, with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. The meeting will take place in the main dining room of Mar-a-Lago. Press is invited. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X on Sunday, in part: "These are some of the most active diplomatic days of the year right now, and a lot can be decided before the New Year. We are doing everything toward this, but whether decisions will be made depends on our partners – those who help Ukraine, and those who put pressure on Russia so that Russians feel the consequences of their own aggression."
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
Update 12/28/25, 2:54 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Update 12/28/25, 1:41 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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