Trump says Ukraine peace ‘very close’ after talks with Zelenskiy

MOSCOW/KYIV: US President Donald Trump said after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that the two sides may be “very close” to a deal to end the war with Russia, though major differences remain over territory and security guarantees.

Both leaders shared few specifics on how the most contentious issues would be resolved, especially questions over land under Russian control and the future security framework for Ukraine.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, currently controls about 19 per cent of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea and large parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Moscow says these areas are now legally part of Russia, a claim rejected by most of the international community.

The Kremlin has repeated demands that Ukrainian forces withdraw from remaining parts of Donetsk still held by Kyiv if it wants peace. Ukraine has rejected this, saying it will not cede territory and that any halt to fighting should be along current front lines.

 Trump and Zelenskiy both said the future of Donbas had not been settled, though Trump added that talks were “moving in the right direction”.

Ukraine says any settlement must include strong, long-term security guarantees to prevent future attacks. Zelenskiy said a draft framework envisages U.S. security guarantees for 15 years and that he has asked Trump to extend them to 50 years. Trump wants European allies to assume a major share of responsibility, with US backing. Russia has rejected any foreign troop presence in Ukraine and has demanded caps on Ukraine’s army, protections for Russian speakers and Orthodox believers, and Ukrainian neutrality. Kyiv says rights are already protected under its laws.

NATO membership remains a key sticking point. Russia wants written assurances that the alliance will not expand further east. Initial U.S. ideas included Ukraine pledging not to join NATO while deepening integration with the European Union, alongside security guarantees resembling NATO’s mutual-defence principle.

Economic issues also feature in the discussions. Early U.S. proposals suggested Russia could be reintegrated into the global economy and invited back to an expanded G8 as part of a broader settlement. The European Union has agreed major financial support packages for Ukraine but has stopped short of using frozen Russian sovereign assets.

Possible peace moves could also involve renewed U.S.–Russia talks on strategic nuclear arms control and decisions on the future of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Debate continues over elections in Ukraine, with Moscow arguing that Zelenskiy’s mandate has expired and Kyiv saying polls cannot be held under martial law during a full-scale conflict.