U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 28th (local time) that if cease-fire talks between Russia and Ukraine proceed smoothly, "it could probably be concluded within a few weeks."
Trump said this at a joint briefing held after meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida earlier in the day.
When asked how close the cease-fire talks were to an agreement, Trump answered, "It could be about 95%," showing confidence in the progress of the talks. He also emphasized, "We have made a lot of progress toward a cease-fire."
Regarding territorial issues, including the Donbas region, cited as the biggest sticking point, Trump assessed that things are "moving in the right direction." In particular, about the U.S.-proposed plan to create a free economic zone, he said, "It is not completely resolved yet, but Russia and Ukraine have come much closer in their positions."
Russia is demanding that Ukraine fully withdraw its troops from the eastern Donetsk region and cede the Donbas territory. Ukraine, by contrast, wants to halt fighting along the current front lines. With the two sides at an impasse, the United States has proposed establishing a demilitarized zone and a free economic zone in parts of Donetsk that Ukraine partially controls.
On the issue of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, another key sticking point, Trump said Russia President Vladimir Putin is "actually working with Ukraine to operate the plant." He added, "In that respect, President Putin is very cooperative."
Trump also said that before his meeting with President Zelensky, he had a phone call with President Putin. He said, "Russia will also help rebuild Ukraine," and "Russia wants Ukraine to do well."
After finishing the meeting, Trump reportedly spoke by phone in succession with President Putin and European leaders to explain the outcome.