Washington, 29 December 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The high-stakes meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Florida ended without a significant breakthrough late on Sunday, even as both leaders touted progress towards a Ukrainian peace deal with Russia.

At a press conference following the talks at Trump's private residence Mar-a-Lago, the US leader said an agreement "could be very close" and could be reached in "maybe a few weeks."

Zelensky meanwhile thanked Trump for a "really great discussion" and said their "teams will meet in upcoming weeks to finalize all discussed matters."

In addition, Zelensky said Trump would host a summit with European leaders in Washington, likely in January. The pair held talks with European leaders before their press conference.

The Mar-a-Lago meeting came as part of the latest diplomatic push to end the war launched by Russia in February 2022.

Trump earlier said he believed Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin were "serious" about making peace.

The US president added that he would call Putin again after the meeting with Zelensky, having already held a phone call with the Russian leader earlier on Sunday.

Zelensky has been seeking Washington's backing for a 20-point framework after the Trump administration in late November unveiled a 28-point proposal that unsettled Kiev and its allies by echoing several Russian positions.

Kiev and European partners have since worked on the alternative plan, including during recent meetings in Berlin and Miami with senior Trump administration officials, while Washington has also held separate talks with Moscow.

Russia is not involved in the Florida talks, and Kremlin reactions to the negotiations have been muted.

Despite declaring a willingness to negotiate, Putin has so far maintained maximalist demands, including claims over Ukraine's eastern Donbass area, which Moscow does not fully control militarily.

Security guarantees

While Trump has sought to end the conflict through high-level summits, including hosting Putin in Alaska in August, the focus of intense diplomatic efforts in recent weeks has been on settling a number of key sticking points.

These include Western security guarantees for Kiev in the event of renewed Russian attacks, the fate of the Donbass region and control of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since the early days of the war.

Zelensky said he and Trump discussed "all the aspects of the peace framework," reiterating that his 20-point plan is "90% agreed."

"We agree that security guarantees is a key milestone in achieving lasting peace," the Ukrainian leader said.

It remains unclear how far Western powers are prepared to go in offering guarantees for Kiev - and whether Moscow is willing to accept them.

Russia: Ceasefire would only 'prolong' conflict

Another point of contention is whether the combatants should agree to a 60-day ceasefire, a proposal backed by Zelensky to give Ukrainians the opportunity to vote on a peace plan in a referendum.

The Kremlin said on Sunday that Trump and Putin agreed in their phone call that a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine would only "prolong" the conflict and "risk a resurgence of fighting."

Moscow has long said it wants to go straight to a final peace deal, skipping over a preliminary ceasefire.

Photo: epa