U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday (December 28, 2025) he believes both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin truly want peace, as he welcomed the “brave” Ukrainian leader for talks at his Florida resort.
“The two leaders want it to end,” Mr. Trump said at the outset of the meeting at Mar-a-Lago. Before Mr. Zelenskyy arrived, Mr. Trump spoke with Mr. Putin by phone for more than an hour, and planned to speak with him again soon after.
Greeting Mr. Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump said of him: “This gentleman has worked very hard, and is very brave, and his people are very brave." Mr. Zelenskyy, by Mr. Trump's side, said he'd discuss issues of territorial concessions with Mr. Trump, which have so far been a red line for his country. He said his negotiators and Mr. Trump's “have discussed how to move step by step and bring peace closer” and would continue to do so in the meeting.
Russia intensified its attacks on Ukraine's capital in the days before the meeting.
Mr. Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, said the call was initiated by the U.S. side, lasted over an hour, and was “friendly, benevolent, and businesslike.” Ushakov said Trump and Putin agreed to speak again “promptly” after Mr. Trump's meeting with Mr. Zelenskyy.
