Donald Trump is attempting to launch a final push to end the war in Ukraine. While admitting he has no deadline for ending the conflict, the president has expressed his belief that both Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin "want an agreement" and that the elements exist to reach one . "We are in the final stages of talks. Either the war will end or it will go on for a long time," he declared on the threshold of the Mar-a-Lago resort.
An hour before receiving the Ukrainian leader for his first visit to Florida (the seventh meeting between the two this year), Trump had a "good and very constructive" phone conversation with Putin, whom the tycoon deemed "very serious" about peace. The two, the Kremlin reports, spoke for an hour and 15 minutes at the White House's request, and agreed that a truce only prolongs hostilities. "To definitively end (the conflict), Kiev must, first of all, make a courageous and responsible political decision" on Donbass, said Russian presidential advisor Yuri Ushakov, outlining the content of the conversation between Trump and Putin, who pledged to continue in touch after the face-to-face meeting with Zelensky. Following the conversation, a meeting was held with European leaders, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Zelensky arrived at Mar-a-Lago wearing a suit and appeared calm alongside Trump, despite the two men's uneasy relations, especially after their February clash in the Oval Office. This time, however, the tone was different: the American president praised him and called him courageous. "We will talk about territorial issues," Zelensky explained to the cameras, reiterating that "90% of the 20-point peace plan" is complete. The final 10%, however, is proving to be the most difficult. Unresolved are issues of territory, control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and security guarantees. On this last point, while not going into detail, Trump reassured: "There will be a security agreement. It will be a solid agreement. European nations are involved in this," he observed, calling the European leaders updated on the meeting "fantastic." The Ukrainian leader had already taken stock of the situation with his European allies and Canada before landing in Florida to finalize the final details of the meeting with Trump.
Russia, meanwhile, continues to lash out against Europe, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, drawing on Putin's oft-repeated accusations, calling Europeans "the main obstacle to peace." Putin's negotiator Kirill Dmitriev echoed this: "Today is an important day on the path to peace. Warmongers and crooks should repent," he wrote in X. Moscow has been shirking the Old Continent for months now, preferring to speak exclusively with Trump. With a wartime economy crushed by sanctions, Russia is aware that relations with the United States are crucial for a revival. Economic agreements are one piece of a complicated puzzle that Trump and his negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are pushing hard to solve, even though American companies are skeptical about a possible comeback and Russia's potential.
It's still unclear whether the 20-point plan developed by Kiev and Washington will ultimately receive Moscow's green light: many continue to doubt the Kremlin's genuine interest in ending the war, as demonstrated by the relentless attacks in Ukraine. "Kiev has also hit hard," Trump responded to those questioned about Moscow's recent heavy airstrikes. The Kremlin continues to insist on a complete Ukrainian withdrawal from Donbass, while Kiev is pushing for a freeze on the battle lines. Seeking a compromise, the United States has proposed the creation of a free economic zone if Ukraine leaves the area, but much remains to be determined about how this would work in practice. Zelensky has also raised the possibility of a referendum on the peace plan, a move considered significant as it shows the Ukrainian president no longer rules out territorial concessions. He has also expressed his willingness, should an agreement be reached, to hold the first elections since 2019—a request from Moscow supported by Trump—as long as security is guaranteed. Openness and concessions to put the ball back in Putin's court and distance him from Trump.
(Unioneonline/D)