Russia Meeting between Trump and Zelensky without tangible results
The eagerly awaited meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in Florida has ended without any tangible results.
29.12.2025, 02:05
SDA
When asked at the joint press conference when an agreement to end the war in Ukraine would be possible, Trump said: "If things go really well, maybe in a few weeks. And if it goes worse, longer. And if it goes really badly, then it won't happen."
As a key player in ending the war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia was not involved in the negotiations. Trump did speak to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin on the phone before his meeting, but there was no recognizable progress towards peace. Putin had also previously stated publicly that Moscow could achieve its war aims on the battlefield if Zelenskyi rejected Moscow's demands for territorial cessions in the Donbass - specifically in the Donetsk region.
Zelensky spoke of a good meeting with Trump. The Ukrainian is likely to have made it clear once again that his country is in a position to defend and recapture territories. He can count on billions in aid from the EU states. He categorically rejects capitulation and a dictated peace from Moscow.
Selenskyj: Teams will meet in the coming weeks
Selensky said after the meeting: "We have agreed that our teams will meet in the coming weeks to finalize all matters discussed." In January there could be a meeting in Washington with Trump, the Ukrainians and Europeans, he announced. The meeting in Miami followed earlier negotiations in Geneva and Berlin. The Ukrainian has also been to the White House several times this year.
The bilateral meeting at Trump's private club Mar-a-Lago took place without Russia. Trump called his phone call with Putin "good and very productive". When asked about the content of the conversation, Trump, who many critics accuse of being close to Russia, said: "Russia wants Ukraine to succeed." Selensky was visibly taken aback by this assessment. Russia invaded the neighboring country in February 2022. Since then, Ukraine has been defending itself against the invasion with Western help.
Key issues remain unresolved
One key issue for a future peace agreement remains unresolved - Russia's demand for Ukraine to cede territory in the Donetsk region. This concerns the regions there that Kiev has controlled to date and which Moscow has not been able to conquer but claims. Zelenskyi had always refused to give up the 30 percent territory in return for a dictated peace from Moscow.
Trump, who himself had previously called on Ukraine to give up territory, spoke of a "difficult question". This point is also likely to have been discussed during his talks with Putin. Putin insists that Zelenskyi withdraw his troops from Donetsk in order to achieve peace.
As a compromise, Russia is at best prepared to concede that the national guard and police will take control of the area instead of soldiers. However, the Russian National Guard is also organized along military lines. Following the talks between the Kremlin leader and Trump, Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov stated that Ukraine must make responsible decisions.
Working group to resolve further issues
According to Ushakov, Putin made it clear once again during the phone call, which lasted one hour and 15 minutes, that the agreements discussed with Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, in August were still valid for him. Putin had agreed to accept Trump's 28-point plan as a basis for negotiations. However, a 20-point plan presented by Zelensky after negotiations with the US and Europeans on Christmas Eve met with rejection in Moscow.
A working group is now to be set up to resolve further issues and is due to start work at the beginning of January. The US side includes Trump's negotiator Steve Witkoff, the President's son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chief of Staff Dan Caine.
No concrete facts
It was noticeable that neither Trump nor Selenskyj spoke about concrete facts regarding possible progress. The US President once again emphasized that he believed that an end to the war could be brought about. However, he also said that this was not a deal that could be agreed in one day. He was conspicuously reserved. For Selensky, security guarantees for Ukraine are particularly important so that the country is protected from future Russian attacks in the event of a ceasefire. The Ukrainian said that an agreement had been reached in this regard. There was no confirmation of this.
Selenskyj and Trump also spoke via video link with several European heads of state and government, including Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The German politician wrote on X afterwards that it had been a good, hour-long discussion. "Good progress was made, which we welcome." Europe is ready to continue its cooperation with Ukraine and the USA in order to consolidate this progress.
Macron later confirmed on X: "We are making progress on the security guarantees." The background to this is the Ukrainian demand that the USA, as the protecting power, shield Ukraine from future Russian attacks following a ceasefire. At the beginning of January, the so-called coalition of the willing will also meet in Paris "to finalize the concrete contributions of each country", Marcon continued.
What happens now?
Before the start of the talks with the Ukrainians, the US President had held out the prospect of speaking to Putin again after the meeting. It remained unclear when this telephone call would take place.
Prior to the meeting, Selensky had written on X that Russia's daily air strikes showed that it had no interest in a peace agreement. This week alone, Russia had fired more than 2,100 attack drones, around 800 glide bombs and 94 missiles. "Everything against our people, against life and everything that makes it normal - especially against our energy infrastructure." He called on his country's Western partners to maintain all sanctions and political pressure against Russia.
