Mar-a-Lago peace plan - Did Zelenskyy and Trump reach agreement?

Key questions

• US President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin several hours before meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and said another call would follow later.

• Trump said the peace plan is in its final stages of discussion.

• The Zelenskyy–Trump meeting lasted more than two hours.

• Territorial issues and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant were discussed, but no final decisions were reached.

• A joint US–Ukraine working group will be formed to engage with Russia.

• Trump and Zelenskyy delivered their first public statements.

• The meeting began about 30 minutes late; Trump greeted Zelenskyy at the entrance to the residence, where they briefly addressed the media.

Trump said he believed a deal could be reached that would be "good for Ukraine and for everyone," reiterating that he had ended eight wars and calling this one the most difficult. He added that he was not setting a deadline for ending the war. Trump also said he believed Putin was currently serious about peace despite continued strikes on Ukraine.

Trump said discussions were at the final stage and could conclude soon, though he cautioned they could also drag on. Zelenskyy, for his part, said the teams had made progress and that about 90% of the work had been completed, noting that discussions were continuing on financial aspects of recovery and next steps toward ending the war.

Mar-a-Lago meeting: delegation lineups

After the talks, the leaders attended a working lunch with members of their negotiating teams.

US delegation:

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio

• Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth

• White House officials Susie Wiles and Stephen Miller

• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine

• Special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner

Ukrainian delegation:

• Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US, Olha Stefanishyna

• National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov

• Economy Minister Oleksii Sobolev

• Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov

• Presidential Office adviser Oleksandr Bevz

• First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kyslytsia

Photo: Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet at Mar-a-Lago (Getty Images)

Trump speaks with Putin

US President Donald Trump described his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as important and said he would speak again with Russian President Vladimir Putin afterward. He had already held a call with Putin several hours before meeting Zelenskyy. The Kremlin said Trump and Putin agreed to set up two working groups, on security and economic issues, within the peace plan framework, and cited a referendum and a ceasefire among the topics discussed.

The Financial Times reported that the Trump–Putin call had allegedly raised concerns in Kyiv. However, sources told RBC-Ukraine that the call did not alarm Zelenskyy. Members of the Ukrainian president’s team said it had been understood that Trump and Putin would speak, and that one of the current tasks was to clarify what Russia is prepared to accept.

Zelenskyy and Trump address media

The leaders’ talks lasted more than two hours. Afterward, Zelenskyy and Trump held calls with European leaders and then spoke to the press. Zelenskyy’s team told RBC-Ukraine the meeting was substantive and among the most important to date.

Asked about the working group discussed with Putin, Trump said the US side would include special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with Dan Caine and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and that Ukrainians would also participate. Zelenskyy named Rustem Umerov, Serhii Kyslytsia, and Andrii Hnatov. He said the teams would work through six documents and aim for a decision in January. Trump added that the working group would engage directly with Russia.

What Zelenskyy said - Key points

• Meetings with European partners are planned in the coming weeks to align remaining issues, possibly in January in Washington.

• The 20-point plan is about 90% agreed; US security guarantees are 100% agreed; US-and-European guarantees are about 90%; the military component is 100%; the prosperity plan is being finalized.

• Work on the plan has continued for more than a month.

• A "free economic zone" in Donbas is a very complex issue; Ukraine’s Constitution must be respected. A referendum is one possible option, one of the potential "keys to the lock."

What Trump said - Key points

• Virtually all topics were discussed.

• Security guarantees are about 95% settled; one or two "thorny" issues remain, but there were many concessions.

• On a free economic zone in Donbas, he said there was no full agreement yet, but progress toward resolving a major issue.

• He said Russia had pushed for Ukraine to "hand over" Donbas, which led to disagreements; positions still need aligning, but talks are moving in the right direction.

• Parliament would need to approve a referendum; he claimed broad public support for holding one.

• Given occupied territory and the risk of further advances, he argued there was urgency to reach a deal, while noting Ukraine’s strong defense.

• On the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, he said it could be brought back online quickly and that, following discussions with Putin, Russia was no longer targeting it, calling this significant progress.

• A trilateral meeting involving Zelenskyy, Trump, and Putin would take place in due course; he said Putin wants it to happen and that Russia must come to the negotiating table.

• He added that Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed.

Earlier this week, Zelenskyy for the first time publicly outlined all 20 points of the peace plan under discussion for months, reiterating that the most difficult issues, especially territorial ones, must be addressed directly with Trump.

Territorial questions are widely described as the hardest. Russia seeks Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donetsk region, which Kyiv considers unacceptable. The US has floated a compromise involving a free economic zone.

Another difficult issue is the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The US has proposed trilateral management involving Ukraine, the US, and Russia; Ukraine favors joint control with the US only; Russia wants control without Ukraine.