Trump hails Ukraine peace plan progress, but says 'thorny issues' remain
US President Trump has said that the Ukraine-Russia peace deal is "95 per cent complete", but warned that the process is "not a one-day deal".
Donald Trump has said the peace talks between Ukraine and Russia are "95 per cent complete" after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy ended at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.
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Despite the progress, Mr Trump warned that the peace process is "not a one-day deal".
Ukrainian president Mr Zelenskyy thanked his US counterpart for a "great meeting", saying they discussed the 20-point peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war in detail.
He broke down the progress made on various elements of the plan, emphasising that agreements between the US and Ukraine were "100 per cent agreed" and a "key milestone in achieving lasting peace".
Mr Zelenskyy went on to re-affirm that Ukraine is "ready for peace" - but would not give details on how much territory, if any, Ukraine was open to conceding as part of a deal.
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When asked by reporters how long the final peace discussions would take, the US President said the best case scenario was "a few weeks" - but warned that the whole process could fall through if negotiations "don't go well".
Trump said that Russian President Putin was serious about making progress following their "two-and-a-half hour" conversation over the phone earlier, ahead of his meeting with Zelenskyy.
When asked what the pair discussed, Trump responded: "Well, we weren't talking about the weather."
He said that Putin had not yet agreed to a ceasefire, but this was "something they were working on".
Both Trump and Zelenskyy thanked various political leaders for their support throughout the process.
Speaking on the progress of the peace plans, Sir Keir Starmer said he was eager to sustain the momentum of peace talks during his call with Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister spoke with President Trump, President Zelenskyy and European leaders this evening.
“The discussion focused on ongoing efforts to secure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, with leaders commending President Trump for the progress achieved so far.
“They underlined the importance of robust security guarantees and reaffirmed the urgency of ending this barbaric war as soon as possible."
President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen has also welcomed the "good progress" made on the call.
Writing on X, she said: "Europe is ready to keep working with Ukraine and our US partners to consolidate this progress."
She added that "ironclad security guarantees from day one" are "paramount to this effort".