Trump talked to Putin BEFORE Zelensky……..
Zelensky AFTER in person….
Trump says things could be close….
Hmmmmm?
Haven’t we hearde THAT Before?
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There IS a LOT going on….
The status of the Donbas Region is NOT settled…..
A localized ceasefire has been agreed near the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, allowing repairs to damaged power lines to begin, the IAEA reported….
ISW is reporting that Russian forces are currently unable to build out a strategic reserve and will therefore likely be constrained to grinding, slow advances at their current rate and scale in the coming year. Read the full Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment: isw.pub/UkrWar122725….
Could this be why Putin might be forced to finally seriously make a ‘Deal’?
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Axios….
President Trump said after his Sunday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukraine and Russia are “closer than ever” to a peace deal and that 95% of the issues have been settled.
Why it matters: The meeting comes at the height of Trump’s diplomatic push to reach a peace agreement aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
- Two hours before the meeting with Zelensky, Trump spoke on the phone with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and discussed the U.S. peace plan.
Driving the news: Zelensky told Axios on Friday that he hoped to agree on a framework with Trump for ending the war during Sunday’s meeting.
- Zelensky revealed he’s willing to bring that plan up for a referendumif Russia agrees to a ceasefire of at least 60 days.
- While Zelensky emphasized that significant progress has been made, Trump’s plan still demands painful territorial concessions from Ukraine in the Donbas region, which borders Russia.
- Zelensky still hopes to improve those terms and said he’ll need to seek approval of the Ukrainian people if they can’t get to a “strong” position on territory.
- Zelensky said a 60-day ceasefire is a minimum for both preparing and holding the referendum and to allow security so Ukrainians may campaign and vote without the threat of attacks. Without it, he said, the result of the vote would be illegitimate.
Behind the scenes: Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters the call was Trump’s initiative and lasted an hour and 15 minutes.
- Ushakov said the call was “in a friendly tone” and noted that Trump listened to Putin’s assessment regarding the peace talks.
- Ushakov claimed Putin and Trump both think Ukraine “needs to make a decision about Donbas without delay.”
- He also claimed that Putin and Trump both think that the temporary ceasefire Ukraine proposes for holding a referendum over the peace plan “will only prolong the conflict.”
- Trump said the peace deal would have to be approved by Ukraine’s Parliament or by referendum. He said he is willing to speak in front of Ukrainian Parliament to help sell the deal.
- Trump said Putin doesn’t want to have a ceasefire but to reach a deal that ends the war. “I understand that position. But I think we are finding ways to get around that,” he said…..
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NY Times….
A spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, who was on a call between Trump, Zelensky and European leaders, said the discussion was focused on “efforts to secure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.” The statement said that European leaders had commended Trump “for the progress achieved so far” but added: “They underlined the importance of robust security guarantees and reaffirmed the urgency of ending this barbaric war as soon as possible.”
President Karol Nawrocki of Poland, who was also on the call, said in a statement posted on social media that he had thanked Trump for today’s “conversation” but that “any arrangements concerning peace and security in the region must be made among all interested parties,” and that Poland’s position on any peace deal was “crucial.” The statement twice stated that the war in Ukraine was “caused by Russia.”
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the executive arm of the 27-nation European Union, wrote on social media that several European leaders held an hour-long call with Trump and Zelensky to discuss the peace negotiation discussions. “There was good progress, which we welcomed,” she said.
She added in a second post: “Europe is ready to keep working with Ukraine and our US partners to consolidate this progress. Paramount to this effort is to have ironclad security guarantees from day one.”
Reporting from West Palm Beach, Fla.
Asked what happens if no deal is reached, Trump replied, “they keep fighting and they keep dying,” he said, adding that “we don’t want that to happen.” On that note, Trump and Zelensky have ended the news conference.
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US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were “getting a lot closer, maybe very close” to an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, though both leaders acknowledged that some of the thorniest details remain unresolved.
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Trump said it will be clear “in a few weeks” whether negotiations to end the war will succeed.
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Zelenskyy said an agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine has been reached. Trump was slightly more cautious, saying that they were 95% of the way to such an agreement, and that he expected European countries to “take over a big part” of that effort with US backing.
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Zelenskyy said on Monday he and Trump made significant progress in talks and agreed that US and Ukrainian teams would meet next week to finalise issues aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. “We had a substantive conversation on all issues and highly value the progress that the Ukrainian and American teams have made over the past weeks,” Zelenskiy said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
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Both Trump and Zelenskyy said the future of the Donbas had not been settled. “It’s unresolved, but it’s getting a lot closer. That’s a very tough issue,” Trump said.
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The head of the EU commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, was on a call with European leaders and Trump and Zelenskyy. She said progress was “good” and that Europe was ready to build on the steps taken in Florida. She stressed that more important than anything else would be “ironclad security guarantees from day one” for Ukraine.
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British PM Keir Starmer was also on the call. A Downing Street spokesperson said: “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. The prime minister emphasised the UK’s commitment to working closely with partners to sustain momentum in the coming days – with President Trump highlighting his leadership in driving coordinated international support for Ukraine as talks continue.”
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The world appreciates Trump’s peace efforts, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on X early on Monday after the US president met for peace talks with Zelenskyy.
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In overnight developments, three guided aerial bombs launched by Russia struck private homes in the eastern city of Sloviansk, according to the head of the local military administration, Vadym Lakh. Three people were injured and one man died, Lakh said in a post on the Telegram messenger app….
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