Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump have begun their meeting at the Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Before heading behind closed doors for negotiations, Trump made several statements to the press.
Trump stated he believes Putin is "serious about peace" and that both presidents want to reach an agreement. "Too many people have died, and I think both presidents want to get a deal done. I believe we have the makings of a deal that will be good for Ukraine, good for everybody," the U.S. President said.
According to Trump, negotiations are in the final stages. "It's either going to stop, or it's going to go on for a long time," he said. However, the U.S. President emphasized he is not setting any time limits: "I have no deadline. My only deadline is to end the war."
Trump promised Ukraine a "strong security agreement" involving European nations. "Nobody even knows what's going to be in the security agreement. But there will be a security agreement—and it will be a strong one," he noted. The U.S. President also praised European partners: "I think the European countries have been really great, and they are totally on board with this meeting and getting a deal done."
The American President touched upon economic prospects for Ukraine. "There are great economic benefits for Ukraine as well. They have a lot of rebuilding to do, and there is great wealth to be had there. And they have great wealth potential," Trump said.
When asked about recent massive Russian strikes, Trump replied that this does not indicate Putin is unserious about negotiations. "Ukraine has been hitting very hard too, and I don't view that negatively. There have been some explosions in different parts of Russia," he remarked.
Trump also recalled his experience: "I have settled eight wars, and this is the toughest war. No other nation has ever put forth such an effort."
Zelensky confirmed that the issue of territorial concessions would be raised during the meeting. The leaders are also set to discuss security guarantees and the possibility of managing the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant with the joint participation of Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S.
Following the talks, Trump and Zelensky plan to call European leaders, after which Trump intends to speak with Putin.