Meeting between Trump and Zelensky: Peace negotiations between USA, Ukraine and Russia remain uncertain

Summary

Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met on December 28, 2025 in Palm Beach for peace negotiations. Although both sides spoke of "great progress," a decisive breakthrough has not materialized. The path to a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia after nearly four years of war remains uncertain. Trump hopes to reach an agreement before year's end, but acknowledges that this is a complex process.

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Detailed Summary

The meeting between Trump and Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago marked another step in ongoing peace negotiations to resolve the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Both presidents presented themselves to the press after their working lunch as optimistic, without announcing any concrete breakthroughs.

Trump emphasized that negotiations were "very close" to an agreement, but simultaneously warned against unrealistic expectations: the peace process could not be solved in a single day, but represented a "very complicated matter." The US president showed ambition and signaled his goal to reach an agreement before the end of 2025.

Diplomatic activities have intensified in recent weeks. In November, the USA presented a comprehensive 28-point peace plan, which was developed by the two negotiators Steve Witkoff (presidential envoy) and Jared Kushner (Trump's son-in-law) in coordination with Moscow. This plan was heavily oriented toward Russian demands and faced considerable criticism from Ukraine and European partners.

Shortly before Christmas, Ukraine responded with a condensed 20-point counter-proposal to better anchor its own positions in the negotiations.

Key Takeaways

• The Palm Beach meeting showed progress but delivered no decisive breakthrough in peace negotiations
• Trump is attempting to reach an agreement by the end of 2025, but admits the process is complex and time-consuming
• The USA's 28-point plan favors Russian positions, leading to criticism from Kyiv and Europe
• Ukraine responded with an alternative 20-point plan to protect its interests
• The negotiators are Witkoff and Kushner, who coordinate directly with Moscow

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