President Donald Trump reportedly said Sunday that he remains optimistic a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is within reach, telling reporters that negotiations are making significant progress following high-level talks at Mar-a-Lago.
Speaking at a press conference after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said discussions surrounding a proposed 20-point peace plan are moving the process closer to an agreement. Trump described the talks as productive and said they were immediately followed by conversations with key European leaders, underscoring what he framed as coordinated international momentum toward ending the war.
“I do think we’re getting a lot closer, maybe very close,” Trump said. He explained that after his meeting with Zelenskyy, the two spoke with a wide range of European officials, signaling what Trump portrayed as a united diplomatic front. Among those leaders were France’s Emmanuel Macron, Finland’s Alexander Stubb, Poland’s Karol Nawrocki, Norway’s Jonas Gahr Støre, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, Britain’s Keir Starmer, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The meeting marked a notable reset after tensions earlier this year. Trump temporarily paused U.S. aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine following a contentious Feb. 28 Oval Office meeting involving Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vice President J.D. Vance. That clash raised questions about the direction of U.S. involvement, but Sunday’s meeting suggested a renewed push for diplomacy.
Trump has made ending the war a central foreign policy goal. In August, he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska, where Trump sought to secure a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict. Days later, Trump met with Zelenskyy and several European leaders to brief them on the summit and outline next steps.
Earlier this summer, Trump also reached an agreement with NATO under which alliance members would purchase U.S.-made weapons, including Patriot surface-to-air missile systems, and transfer them to Ukraine. The arrangement allowed the United States to support Ukraine’s defense while placing more responsibility on European allies, a long-standing Trump priority.
At Sunday’s press conference, Trump emphasized how far negotiations have come. “We covered somebody would say 95%, I don’t know what percent, but we have made a lot of progress on ending that war,” he said. Trump described the conflict as “certainly the most deadly war since World War II,” underscoring the urgency he attaches to bringing it to an end.
Trump repeatedly returned to his core message of peace. “I’m on the side of peace,” he told reporters while taking questions. “I’m on the side of stopping the war.”
The president’s comments reinforced his argument that direct engagement, pressure on all sides, and burden-sharing with allies can move even the most entrenched conflicts toward resolution. While many details of the proposed peace plan remain undisclosed, Trump’s remarks suggested confidence that diplomacy, not endless escalation, remains the best path forward.
As negotiations continue, Trump framed himself as the central broker willing to talk to all sides, coordinate allies, and push for an outcome he says serves global stability. Whether a final agreement materializes remains to be seen, but the White House made clear Sunday that the administration believes the window for peace is narrowing in the right direction.
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