Share and Follow
On Sunday, an important meeting took place at Mar-a-Lago, often dubbed the “White House of the South,” where former President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky engaged in discussions aimed at potentially ending the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Trump expressed optimism, stating, “we could be very close” to brokering a peace deal.
Following their discussions, Trump addressed the media, highlighting the substantial progress made during their talks. He mentioned that they tackled about “95 percent” of the issues hindering a peace plan, acknowledging the conflict as the deadliest since World War II. “We’ll see if it gets done, it’s very close certainly,” Trump noted, emphasizing the significant strides made in reaching this point, which many had previously thought unattainable.
The meeting also included phone conversations with key European leaders, such as France’s Emmanuel Macron, Finland’s Alexander Stubb, Poland’s Karol Nawrocki, Norway’s Jonas Gahr Støre, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, the United Kingdom’s Keir Starmer, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, NATO’s Mark Rutte, and the European Commission’s Ursula von der Leyen. Trump explained that he and Zelensky felt it was fitting to update these leaders, given their countries’ geographic and political proximity to Russia and Ukraine, a factor Trump has often pointed out in past discussions.
.@POTUS delivers remarks upon meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr @ZelenskyyUa at Mar-a-Lago: “We had a terrific meeting. We discussed a lot of things. As you know, I had an excellent phone call with President Putin… and I do think we’re getting a lot closer.” pic.twitter.com/tIHjR0wko2
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) December 28, 2025
Trump and Zelensky also spoke by phone with European leaders, including France’s Emmanuel Macron, Finland’s Alexander Stubb, Poland’s Karol Nawrocki, Norway’s Jonas Gahr Støre, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, United Kingdom’s Keir Starmer, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, NATO’s Mark Rutte, and the European Commission’s Ursula von der Leyen. Trump remarked that he and Zelensky thought it “was appropriate” to touch base with those officials who lead countries, as Trump has noted in the past, that are in much closer proximity to Russia and Ukraine than is the United States.