No Deal so far after Trump-Zelenskyy Talks in Florida

No Deal so far after Trump-Zelenskyy Talks in Florida 

Despite projecting a positive, optimistic mood about prospects for peace in Ukraine after almost four years of war, the meeting between President Donald J. Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ended the way it began: inconclusively.

With the USA playing both sides against the middle in this war, the chances of a just and lasting peace for Ukraine are slim. 

The talks today concluded without settling the two main divisive points: security guarantees for Ukraine and surrendering land to Russia.

During a news conference following their talks at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, Trump and Zelenskyy continued their optimism while acknowledging that challenges remain.

“You can say 95%, but I don’t like to say percentages. I just think we’re doing very well,” Trump said feigning enthusiasm. “There are one or two very thorny issues, very tough issues, but I think we’re doing very well. We made a lot of progress today.” Trump didn’t create not elaborate.

For Ukraine, those two issues are non-negotiable. Many political and civic leaders said that giving in on security and land would equal capitulating to Russia. After all, Zelenskyy had noted, what will the USA, NATO and Europe do when — not if — Russia again invades Ukraine.

Zelenskyy also expressed optimism at the press conference.

“We had a really great discussion," he told reporters. "We discussed all the aspects of the peace framework."

He added that the deal as a whole was 90% agreed to, saying U.S., Europe and Ukraine security guarantees are “almost agreed.” Before the meeting, Zelenskyy had given a similar measure of progress, telling journalists in a WhatsApp chat that a 20-point peace plan they had been working on was “90% ready.”

The latest flurry of diplomacy comes after a massive Russian attack launched against Kyiv the previous that killed at least two people, wounding dozens and leaving many without residential heating amid freezing temperatures in the Ukrainian capital.

If the USA continues to favor Russia and refuses to understand Ukraine’s side, nightly bombings of Ukrainian cities and murders of Ukrainian civilians will continue.