Trump Sees Russia-Ukraine Peace Near; Zelenskyy Claims 90% Deal Ready

Russia-Ukraine war: Speaking at a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President Donald Trump said his meeting with the Ukrainian leader was 'terrific' and they discussed a lot.

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday (local time) that Russia and Ukraine are "closer than ever before" to a peace deal to end the war between them that broke out in February 2022. His remarks come after the 79-year-old president held a high-level meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida, the United States.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Zelenskyy, Trump said his meeting with the Ukrainian leader was 'terrific' and they discussed a lot. He said he also help a two-hour telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and also with other European leaders, adding that they have made a lot of progress to end the 'deadliest' war since World War II.

"We discussed a lot of points. I do think we're getting a lot closer, maybe very close. The President and I just spoke to the European leaders... We have made a lot of progress on ending that war, which is probably the deadliest war since World War II," he said. 

When asked about a trilateral meeting between him, Putin and Zelenskyy, Trump said it will happen at the 'right time'. The US president said that Putin also wants a trilateral meeting, while calling him 'very generous' and adding that Russia wants Ukraine to succeed.

He said he would follow the meeting with another call to Putin.

The Republican leader also spoke about recent aerial attacks between the two sides, pointing out that Ukraine has made some 'very strong attacks' also. "And I don't say that negatively. I think, you probably have to. I don't say that negatively. But I think, he hasn't told me that, but there have been some explosions in various parts of Russia. It looks to me, like, I don't know. I don't think it came from the Congo," he said.

Zelenskyy says 20-point Ukraine peace plan 90% agreed

During the presser, Zelenskyy said his talks with Trump covered all major aspects of a possible peace deal. There has already been major convergence between the two sides on several fronts, the Ukrainian president said. 

"There has been 90 per cent agreement on the 20-point peace plan, 100 per cent agreement on US-Ukraine security guarantees, and US-Europe-Ukraine security guarantees are almost agreed. The military dimension is 100 per cent agreed. The Prosperity Plan is being finalised, and we also discussed the sequencing of the following actions," Zelenskyy said. 

"We agreed that security guarantees are a key milestone in achieving lasting peace, and our teams will continue working on all aspects... Ukraine is ready for peace," he added.