Trump cites ‘thorniest issue’, offers takes on Ukraine, Russia and Putin: Miami peace talks Live Updates

Acknowledging frontline realities in order to bring about a sustainable peace deal was expected to feature significantly

US President Donald Trump has held a face-to-face meeting and a press conference in Miami with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky over settling the conflict between Kiev and Moscow. The sit-down came after Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Trump by phone for over an hour.

Zelensky, who faces another corruption scandal implicating lawmakers that erupted over the weekend, is following up on days of negotiations in Florida between Ukrainian and US negotiators on a potential deal to end the Ukraine conflict.

Trump touted good progress in the talks, but acknowledged that Ukraine’s potential territorial concessions remain one of the thorniest issues on the agenda. He added that both Moscow and Kiev are working to reopen Russia’s Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

Shortly before Zelensky’s arrival, Trump announced on his Truth Social that he had had a ”very productive” conversation with Putin, while the Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said that both ”hold broadly similar views” and that a temporary ceasefire would only prolong the conflict.

A 20-point proposal revealed by Zelensky ahead of the meeting has been dismissed by Moscow, which called it ”radically different” from what Russia and the US had discussed on the issue. Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that Moscow was ”fully” ready to move forward with the peace process while Kiev and its European backers seek to derail it.

Trump has invited media representatives to attend the meeting, and our updates will follow events and reactions.