After meeting with Zelensky, Trump speaks on the phone with Putin; conversation was ‘positive’, says White House

War in Ukraine: Trump and Zelensky say they are close to peace, but there are still impasses in reaching an agreement United States President Donald Trump has offered security guarantees to Ukraine for a period of 15 years, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday (29). ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp Zelensky said, however, that he asked the North American president for a longer term, of up to 50 years. 👉 The security guarantee means, in practice, that Ukraine would be protected from new attacks in the same way as NATO members — that is, in the event of a new invasion, the USA and Europe would send troops to defend Ukrainian territory. The proposal to guarantee Ukraine’s security for 15 years was made during the meeting that Trump and Zelensky held on Sunday (28) in Florida, USA (see the video above), according to the Ukrainian president. At the time, the two leaders said they were close to a peace agreement to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, but did not disclose points discussed at the meeting and admitted obstacles that had not yet been resolved (read more below). This Monday, Zelensky gave details of what the US offered his government — Donald Trump’s administration has been brokering a tentative agreement to end the war and has drawn up a proposal for an agreement, which has not yet been accepted by both parties. Also according to the Ukrainian president, Trump said that the deadline offered to guarantee security to Ukraine can be extended. Still, he said he asked for a longer period. Washington did not take a position on the request. “I really wanted the guarantees to be longer. I told him we really want to consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years,” Zelensky said at a virtual news conference. Trump responded that he would think about the possibility, he added. Why Trump and Zelensky say there is progress in negotiations, but peace still seems distant Kremlin says they agree that the end of the war is near Neither Trump nor Zelensky have set deadlines for a definitive peace agreement, promising that their teams will meet again in the coming weeks. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Also on Monday, the Russian government said it agreed with Trump’s statement on Sunday that the end of the war in Ukraine “is closer than ever.” “Of course we agree” with the statement, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. However, Peskov stated that Vladimir Putin’s government demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbass, the eastern region of Ukraine currently controlled largely by the Russian army. The spokesman said Kiev should leave the parts of Donbas it still controls. The Ukrainian government had not yet taken a position on the Kremlin’s statement until the last update of this report. However, the peace plan proposed by the United States provided for a demilitarized zone in the region. Last week, Zelensky said he would agree to withdraw his troops from Donbass if Russia agreed to create a demilitarized zone in the region. Meeting between Trump and Zelensky Zelensky laughs when he hears Trump say that Putin will help Ukraine In the meeting he held with Zelensky in Florida on Sunday, Donald Trump said he was very close to finalizing a peace plan for Ukraine, but admitted that there were still “thorny issues” to be resolved. According to him, the main impasse involves the Donbass region, where the areas controlled by Moscow troops would be “de facto recognized as Russian, including by the United States”, according to the US proposal, which has yet to be officially presented to the Ukrainian government; The same category would apply to Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. Trump said he is not working with a firm deadline to end negotiations, but said an agreement could be concluded in the coming weeks. He acknowledged that the talks could fail, but said he believed in a positive outcome. The American president also said that Russia wants Ukraine to “succeed” and that it will help rebuild the country after the end of the conflict. The statement generated laughter from the Ukrainian leader (see the video above). Before the meeting began, Trump said he believes both sides want peace and that Europe has also been working to facilitate a ceasefire agreement. The American president also stated that the negotiations are difficult, but they are progressing. “We are in the final phase of negotiations. Either this ends, or it will go on for a long time and millions more people will die,” he said. “I think we can move forward quickly.” Zelensky thanked Trump for mediation and said that 90% of the peace plan is closed. On the other hand, in front of journalists, the Ukrainian president avoided answering a question about the possibility of territorial concessions to Russia. “It’s a difficult question to answer, you know our position. We have to respect our law and our people,” he said. “It is the land of our nation, the land of many generations.” See the videos that are trending on g1

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