U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Florida on the 28th, local time, to make final adjustments on a cease-fire proposal for the Ukraine war. President Trump said the talks are "in the final stage," and President Zelensky said he hopes "peace comes as quickly as possible."
Before starting a bilateral meeting with President Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, that day, President Trump told reporters that strong security guarantees for Ukraine would be included in the cease-fire plan. He said, "There will be a security agreement with deep involvement from European countries."
President Trump said he believes Ukraine and Russia will reach an agreement, saying the "cease-fire talks are in the final stage." He added that "too many people are dying," emphasizing that both President Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin want the war to end.
President Trump said there is no separate deadline for the cease-fire talks. He said that after the meeting, he plans to make additional calls with President Putin and European leaders. Asked whether Russia's recent attacks on Ukraine undermine the sincerity of the talks, he said, "President Putin is very serious." He added, "Ukraine, too, has carried out strong attacks," and "we will have to see how the war unfolds."
Standing next to President Trump, President Zelensky said they would discuss a cease-fire plan consisting of 20 items and said, "I hope this discussion leads to peace as quickly as possible." He said, "About 90% of the 20 items have already been agreed between the working-level teams of the United States and Ukraine."
The cease-fire plan is also expected to include a vision for postwar reconstruction. President Trump said, "There are elements that will bring significant economic benefits to Ukraine," adding, "There are many areas that need rebuilding, and that process can generate massive added value." This is interpreted to mean that, along with security guarantees, postwar economic reconstruction will be a core pillar of the cease-fire plan.
Before the meeting, President Trump revealed on the social media platform Truth Social that he had a "very productive and good" phone call with President Putin. President Zelensky had likewise signaled in advance that he would discuss the cease-fire plan, security guarantees and postwar reconstruction in his meeting with President Trump.
President Zelensky singled out the Donbas region and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant as particularly sensitive issues. The remaining 10% that has not been agreed upon is mainly territorial, with Russia demanding that Ukraine fully withdraw its forces from Donetsk in the east and cede the Donbas region. Ukraine, by contrast, wants to halt fighting along the current front line.
As the two sides' positions ran parallel, the United States is said to have proposed creating a demilitarized zone and a free economic zone in parts of the Donetsk region that Ukraine partially controls.