Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine are “very close” to reaching a peace agreement following high-level talks involving U.S, Ukrainian, and European officials.
Speaking after meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump described the discussions as “excellent” and said both Kyiv and Moscow appear interested in a ceasefire. “It appears that President Zelensky and President Putin want a ceasefire,” Trump said, noting that agreement on “one or two points” still remains.
U.S. Special Representative Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner participated in the negotiations, alongside a high-level Ukrainian delegation. Trump added that parallel discussions with European partners on ending the war had been positive.
President Zelensky echoed the optimism, saying Ukraine is ready for peace and hopes the conflict now in its third year can end soon. He said his talks with Trump were productive, particularly on ceasefire proposals.
Zelensky said the latest meeting followed nearly an hour of discussions with senior U.S. officials on Christmas Day about a proposed peace framework he described as “about 90% ready.” There was no immediate confirmation of that meeting from the White House.
“We are not losing a single day. We have agreed on a meeting at the highest level with President Trump in the near future,” Zelensky wrote on X. “A lot can be decided before the New Year.”
It is important if we succeed in organizing what we discussed today with President Trump’s envoys. Some documents, as I see it, are nearly ready, and some documents are fully prepared. Of course, there is still work to be done on sensitive issues. But together with the American… pic.twitter.com/kCmrNOaQBQ
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 25, 2025
According to Fox News, remaining sticking points include U.S. and allied security guarantees for Ukraine, unresolved territorial disputes in eastern Ukraine, and the status of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia has been in contact with U.S. representatives and agreed to continue dialogue, though Moscow has not indicated it is willing to withdraw from occupied territories.
Despite outstanding differences, Zelensky said progress has been made and that the coming days could be decisive in efforts to bring the war to an end.
