Everything Except Donbas and a Couple More Points. What Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy Agreed On in Florida

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A Wonderful Conversation About Almost Everything

Before meeting Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it would be "one of the most active diplomatic days of the year," with "much" potentially being decided as early as 2025.

Negotiations between the American and Ukrainian delegations at Donald Trump's private residence, Mar-a-Lago, lasted about three hours. Following them, Trump immediately stated that they were "excellent" and that it was a "wonderful conversation" that significantly brought closer the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

According to him, a peace agreement is close, with the parties having agreed on about 95% of the terms. However, he himself added that the key issue – to whom the Donbas regions would belong – remained unresolved.

Donald Trump called this question "the most important," and here, in his opinion, the parties are still "approaching an agreement."

Volodymyr Zelenskyy made it clear after the talks that the Donbas issue is still highly relevant, and Ukraine's position on this matter is "clear and differs from Russia's."

For Ukraine, Zelenskyy stated after the talks, "the key stage on the path to achieving lasting peace" is security guarantees for the country, not the territorial question.

He clarified that the Ukrainian team will continue to work on this point of the agreement with European politicians, but, according to him, "all discussed issues" need to be finalized there, which could happen in the coming weeks.

Trump insisted even after the talks, when answering media questions, that concluding a deal on territories is better done as soon as possible. He said that Ukraine showed "great courage <…> and inflicted enormous damage [on the enemy]," but it's "time to put an end" to the conflict.

The US President even spoke of readiness to address the Ukrainian parliament, explaining the necessity of a peace agreement. Volodymyr Zelenskyy diplomatically replied: "You are always welcome."

Donbas — and "Without Delay"

Russia considers the issue of the belonging of the Donbas regions to be paramount for itself. Vladimir Putin expressed his position in a telephone conversation with Donald Trump, which took place on the same day shortly before the meeting with Zelenskyy.

Putin urged Trump to focus on the "understandings" reached between them in Anchorage — although no important agreements were reported at the time. And his assistant, Yury Ushakov, voiced the main demand of the Russian side: Kyiv must adopt "a bold, responsible political decision <…> concerning Donbas."

"It would make sense for the Ukrainian regime to adopt this decision regarding Donbas without delay, given the situation on the fronts," Ushakov stated.

According to Ushakov, Putin and Trump plan to call each other again — following the results of the Florida negotiations.

Both Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak of only weeks, after which decisions to end the war can be expected.

But this again does not concern Donbas — Volodymyr Zelenskyy insists on his position, saying that this issue must be resolved by the people of Ukraine or their elected representatives.

This potentially puts the parties in a deadlock — Ukraine demands a ceasefire during the preparation and conduct of a vote, Russia denies this, and Putin has repeated several times that he can achieve control of these territories by military means.

The Ukrainian president added that any point of the peace agreement currently being discussed can be put to a referendum or considered by the country's parliament.

Trump did not rule out that unforeseen problems might still arise. According to him, any point from the peace plan "could potentially be very important" and spoil the entire agreement completely.

When asked how quickly the war could end, Trump again spoke of clarity that should emerge within a few weeks. According to him, a trilateral meeting between the US, Ukraine, and Russia is quite probable in the near future: "Putin wants this to happen. He told me very clearly, I believe him."

How Other Parties React to the Zelenskyy-Trump Meeting

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X after a video conference with Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy: "Europe is ready to continue working with Ukraine and our American partners to consolidate the progress [achieved in the negotiations]. The main thing in these efforts is that from day one there are ironclad security guarantees."
• A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who also participated in the video conference, stated that both Starmer and European leaders "emphasized the importance of robust security guarantees and reiterated the urgency of ending this barbaric war as soon as possible." "The Prime Minister underscored the United Kingdom's commitment to working closely with partners to maintain the momentum in the coming days," the Downing Street representative added.
• From the Russian side, the reaction has so far been limited to a post on X by presidential special representative Kirill Dmitriev, who thanked President Trump. "The whole world appreciates the peace efforts of President Trump and his team," Dmitriev wrote in English.

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