Trump says he believes Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations have entered the 'final stages'
- - Trump says he believes Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations have entered the 'final stages'
December 29, 2025 at 3:26 AM
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President Donald Trump greets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago club, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Alex Brandon/AP)
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said he believes peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have entered the "final stages," as he welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for in-person talks at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Speaking alongside Zelenskyy after an over hour-long phone call with Putin, President Trump said both sides have expressed willingness to come to an agreement and wish to see an end to the nearly four-year conflict.
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"The people of Ukraine want it to end and the people of Russia want it to end and the two leaders want it to end," President Trump said. "... I think we're in the final stages of talking and we're going to see. Otherwise it's going to go on for a long time. It'll either end or it's going to go on for a long time and millions of additional people are going to be killed. Millions. And nobody wants that."
Zelenskyy added that he and President Trump planned to discuss potential territorial concessions — something that has, up to this point, been a sensitive issue for Ukraine.
The in-person talks come after a weekend in which Russian drones and ballistic missiles rocked Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv, killing at least one person and injuring dozens more. The Russian Defense Ministry said the barrage targeted Ukrainian energy facilities but several residential building were also struck in the attack.
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Ahead of his meeting with President Trump on Sunday, Zelenskyy told reporters he would prioritize security guarantees for Ukraine. He also reiterated that under no circumstance will Ukraine recognize any territory as Russian.
“But the most important issue I want to stress today is security guarantees," he said in a WhatsApp chat with journalists. "Beyond territorial issues and the ZNPP (nuclear plant), security guarantees are critically important for us."
Source: “AOL Breaking”
