Credit, Reuters
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- author, Bernd Debusmann Jr and Paul Kirby
- To roll, Washington Correspondent and Europe Digital Editor at BBC News
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Reading time: 5 minutes
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump said on Sunday (28/12) that the two countries agreed, in general terms, on most of the points being negotiated for a peace deal in the war in Ukraine.
However, in a conversation with reporters at Mar-a-Lago (Trump’s residence in Palm Beach, Florida) after a meeting to discuss the deal, neither Trump nor Zelensky set deadlines, instead promising that their teams would meet again in the coming weeks.
Zelensky also raised the possibility of a follow-up meeting in Washington, which would be attended by European leaders.
According to Trump, Ukrainian territory and the question of who controls it remains the thorniest sticking point — and neither leader has offered a solution to that issue beyond another meeting.
And any subsequent ceasefire and peace agreement would of course require Russia to agree to the same points.
In his statements, Trump acknowledged that Vladimir Putin did not accept a ceasefire that would allow referendums to be held in Ukraine.
What was said and the points of impasse
Trump called Sunday’s meeting with Zelensky a “fantastic meeting” and said he believed they were “very close, maybe too close” to a deal.
Zelensky thanked Trump for the “great meeting,” adding that a 20-point peace plan had been accepted by “90 percent.”
Regarding security guarantees for Ukraine in the possible post-war period, the Ukrainian leader described them as “100% agreement”, calling them “a fundamental step towards achieving lasting peace.”
He added, however, that his teams would continue to work on it to “finalize all topics discussed” – while Trump said they were “nearly 95% complete.”
On territory, Trump described Donbass – territory to the east of Ukraine, on the front lines of the fighting – as an “unresolved” issue, but said they were “very close” to a deal.
Zelensky added that Ukraine’s position on Donbass is “very clear” and differs from that of Russia.
Donbass is made up of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. Putin defends the incorporation of the territory which he says has historical ties to Russia and the legacy of the Soviet Union.
However, according to the Ukrainian Constitution, Donbass belongs to Ukraine.
The US president also said that Russia would “help” with the reconstruction of Ukraine. He added that he was willing to visit Ukraine, ideally after a deal was reached.
Trump also said he believed Russia, Ukraine and the United States could meet “at the right time” and appeared to suggest that Putin “wants that to happen, too.”
Credit, Getty Images
Two uncertainties: territory in the East and nuclear power plant
Two issues in particular worry American and Ukrainian negotiators.
One was Putin’s demand that Ukraine cede 25 percent of the eastern Donetsk region, territory that Russia was unable to conquer. This has always been the hardest question of all, and Trump admits it is “unresolved.”
The American plan is to transform the area into a demilitarized economic zone.
kyiv says this could happen if Russia also withdraws from the territory – but that would require a referendum or vote in parliament.
This Sunday, Trump said Putin was refusing to allow a ceasefire so Ukrainians could hold a referendum on territorial decisions.
Another issue concerns the future of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant near Zaporizhzhia, currently under Russian occupation and equipped with six nuclear reactors.
Trump says the issue was “discussed extensively today (Sunday).”
Under the U.S. peace plan, the United States, Russia and Ukraine would jointly manage the plant and profit from it, but Zelensky is known to reject any Russian commercial involvement in the project.
Trump says he believes Putin ‘wants to see Ukraine succeed’
One of the statements that caught the most attention of those present at Trump and Zelensky’s press conference came when the US president was asked about Russia’s help in rebuilding Ukraine after the war.
“Russia wants to see Ukraine prosper,” Trump told reporters.
“President Putin has been very generous about Ukraine’s success, including providing energy…at very low prices.”
Credit, AFP
For Ukrainians who suffered frequent power outages due to Russian attacks on energy infrastructure throughout the winter, this comment will be very difficult to accept. Especially for the million people who were left without power after airstrikes in kyiv this weekend.
It also raises questions about what Putin said to Trump that appears to contradict reality.
Putin may even want Ukraine to prosper, but on its own terms. He declared earlier this year that “all of Ukraine is ours.”
Regarding the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Trump said: “President Putin worked with Ukraine to reopen it. He was very good about that… he didn’t attack it with missiles.”
While it is true that a local ceasefire is in place for repairs to be made at the Zaporizhzhia factory in Ukraine, it was Russia that occupied it in the first place.
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