Image source, Getty Images

Today, US President Donald Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago in Florida where the leaders discussed a plan to end the war in Ukraine.

Both leaders said a deal is close to being reached, but there are still a few main sticking points, including how much territory Ukraine will hand over to Russia, and the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, which is currently under Russian control.

Before the Zelensky-Trump meeting, the US president held a call with Russian president Vladmir Putin. After that conversation, Russia's former US ambassador said the two presidents were united in their belief that a temporary ceasefire proposed by the EU and Ukraine would prolong the conflict.

• We're ending our live coverage now, but you can read all about today's developments in our news story here.

Grace Eliza Goodwin
Live reporter

During the news conference with Zelensky, Trump repeatedly brought up the US investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election - or, as Trump called it, the "Russia Russia Russia hoax".

Trump said he and Putin had discussed the investigation on their earlier call.

"I spoke with President Putin. I got along with him very well despite the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax, which was a total hoax," Trump said.

"It was a total hoax, as he knew and as I knew," he added.

The special counsel investigation, led by former FBI Director Robert Mueller, found that there wasn't enough evidence to indicate whether Trump's campaign had colluded with Russia to help him win the 2016 election. But, US intelligence reports found that Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign aimed at swaying the public toward Trump over his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring

We've heard two presidents sounding very positive, but what we haven't heard is any evidence of progress. The question of whether Ukraine will have to give up territory in exchange for a promise of peace has not been answered, and even if President Zelensky says "100 per cent" of US security guarantees have been agreed, we do not know what they are.

There is also no reason to assume that Russia would agree to any deals reached by Zelensky and Trump. In fact, the Kremlin has already rejected ideas floated before the talks in Florida - a ceasefire and the deployment of a multinational monitoring mission to Ukraine.

If Russia says no again, does this mean US and Ukrainian negotiators are back to square one? Donald Trump's rhetoric and past actions suggest he's hardly likely to switch the focus of his pressure from Ukraine to Russia.

Despite Trump's and Zelensky's optimism, we've seen little indication that lasting peace will prevail in Ukraine any time soon.

Reuters

In interviews with Reuters prior to the Trump and Zelensky talks, several Ukrainians in Kyiv expressed doubt that today's meeting will bring an end to the ongoing war.

"It's either going to be a ceasefire or a continuation of the war for a long time," Natalia Babych, a 36-year-old Kyiv resident told Reuters. "There will be no end to the war. Even if they make a quick agreement, it will come back to us in a few years."

Another resident, 30-year-old Marharyta Chemerys, echoed Babych's concerns, saying, "It will be a truce for a year or two. They will gather their forces again and go with the same force".

Oleksandr Lysenko, a 27-year-old Ukrainian soldier, said he expects the war to last a long time because "that's the trend".

"They will seize more territories, deeper into Western Ukraine," he adds.

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

One of the more extraordinary remarks of the Trump-Zelensky news conference came when the US president was asked whether Russia would help in Ukraine's reconstruction after the war.

"Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed," Trump told reporters. "President Putin was very generous in his feeling towards Ukraine succeeding, including supplying energy... at very low prices."

For Ukrainians who have been subjected to rolling power outages because of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure all winter, this will be a very hard comment to accept. Not least for the million who lost power after the air strikes on Kyiv.

But it also makes one wonder what else Putin has said to Trump that appears to fly in the face of reality. Putin might want Ukraine to succeed, but on his own terms. He said earlier this year that "the whole of Ukraine is ours".

On the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Trump said: "President Putin has been working with Ukraine on getting it open. He's been very good in that sense... he hasn't hit it with missiles."

While it's true that a local ceasefire has been taking place for repairs to take place at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia plant, it is Russia that occupied it in the first place.

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

The Trump-Zelensky news conference has revealed some fascinating details about the talks they've just held.

For a start Zelensky has declared that US security guarantees for Ukraine under the 20-point peace plan are 100% agreed, even if Trump says it's more like 95%.

But there are two issues in particular that have preoccupied the US and Ukrainian negotiators.

One was the issue of Putin's demand for Ukraine to hand over 25% of the eastern Donetsk region that Russia hasn't been able to conquer. This was always going to be the toughest of all and Trump admits it's "unresolved".

The US plan is to turn the area into a demilitarised and economic zone. Kyiv says that could happen if Russia pulled back from territory too - but it would need a referendum or a vote in parliament. Now Trump says Putin has refused to allow a ceasefire for Ukrainians to hold a referendum on territorial decisions.

The other issue is the future of Europe's biggest nuclear power plant near Zaporizhzhia, which is currently under Russian occupation and has six nuclear reactors.

Trump says it was discussed "at length today". Under the US peace plan, the US, Russia and Ukraine would run it and profit from it jointly, but Zelensky is known to reject any Russian commercial involvement in it.

Image source, Reuters

President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen has welcomed the "good progress" made on the call between European leaders, US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"We had a good, one-hour-long call," she says in a post on social media platform X. "Europe is ready to keep working with Ukraine and our US partners to consolidate this progress."

She adds that "ironclad security guarantees from day one" are "paramount to this effort".

Image source, Reuters

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have just wrapped up a joint news conference they held after finishing face-to-face talks at Trump's Mar-a-Lago property in Florida.

If you're just joining us, this is what they said:

• Joint praise for the meeting: Trump called it a "terrific meeting" and said he felt they were "getting a lot closer, maybe very close" to a deal. Zelensky thanked Trump for a "great meeting", adding that a 20-point peace plan was "90%" agreed
• On security guarantees: The Ukrainian leader described them as "100% agreed", calling them the "key milestone in achieving lasting peace". Though he added that their teams will continue working on this to "finalise all discussed matters" - while Trump said they were "close to 95% done"
• On territory: Trump described Donbas - the eastern Ukrainian territory on the front line of fighting - as an "unresolved" issue, but said that they were "getting a lot closer" to an agreement. Zelensky added that Ukraine's attitude is "very clear" on Donbas, and differs to Russia
• On Ukraine's reconstruction: The US president said that Russia "are going to be helping" with the reconstruction of Ukraine. He added that he was open to visiting Ukraine - ideally after a deal was agreed
• A potential meeting? Trump said he believes that Russia and Ukraine could meet "at the right time" - and appeared to suggest that Putin "wants to see it happen" too

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Washington DC

We've just heard from Volodomyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump following their earlier meeting in Mar-a-Lago.

Both men have said that both countries are broadly in agreement about most of the points in the negotiation.

Notably, however, both Trump and Zelensky did not offer any timelines, instead vowing to have their teams meet again in the coming weeks.

Zelensky also noted the possibility of a subsequent meeting in Washington alongside European leaders.

According to Trump, Ukraine's land and who controls it remains the thorniest sticking point - and neither leader offered a path forward to solving that, other than meeting again.

And any subsequent ceasefire and peace deal would, of course, require Russia to come to an agreement on the same points.

In his remarks, Trump acknowledged that Vladimir Putin has not agreed to a ceasefire to allow any referendums to take place in Ukraine.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Zelensky is asked about Ukrainians living outside of the country, and whether they could take part in a referendum to approve any deal to end the war.

He responds they will also be able to take part in a referendum, but adds: "If we will come to such decision, people need, infrastructure for this and is not simple."

The news conference has now come to a close. Stick with us while we bring you analysis.

Image source, Getty Images

A reporter asks if Russia will have any responsibility for helping with the reconstruction of Ukraine.

They are "going to be helping", Trump says of Russia. "Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed."

Putin was very generous in his wish to see Ukraine's success, including "supplying energy, electricity and other things at very low prices", Trump says.

But Putin has not agreed to a ceasefire, because he doesn't want to stop fighting, and then have to start again, Trump says.

"I understand their position," the US president adds.

Asked if he can see a meeting between Russia and Ukraine happening, Trump says that he can "at the right time".

Putin "wants to see it happen", he says - appearing to refer to the meeting. "He told me very strongly, I believe him."

He adds that he spoke with the Russian leader for two-and-a-half hours on the phone earlier.

Image source, Getty Images

How long will it take to end this war? Trump is asked.

Trump responds that it could end in a "few weeks", but it's possible that still might not happen.

"In a few weeks we will know one way or the other," he says.

Trump says he has spoken with Putin about Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which has been under Russian control since the war began.

"President Putin is actually working with Ukraine on getting it open," Trump says. "He's been very good in that sense. He wants to see that open."

"He hasn't hit it with missiles," Trump adds.

Image source, Getty Images

Trump is asked what are the thorniest issues still unresolved.

"I think the land," Trump says. "Some of that land has been taken. Some of that land is maybe up for grabs, but it may be taken over the next period of a number of months."

"You're better off making a deal," he says, adding that Ukraine has been "very brave... and do tremendous damage" but "it's time to end" the conflict.

Trump adds that he's open to visiting Ukraine, but would prefer to get a deal done first.

He says he's offered to speak in the Ukrainian parliament, if Zelensky thinks it would help.

"You are welcome," says Zelensky.

Zelensky is now asked about the Donbas.

He says we respect the land "we control". He says Ukraine's attitude to Donbas is "very clear" and that we have a "different positions" to Russia.

Trump says the security guarantee is "close to 95%" done, but adds, "I don't like to say percentages".

Asked if there's been agreement on a free trade zone on Donbas, Trump says it's still "unresolved but it's getting a lot closer".

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

Security guarantees are the "key milestone in achieving lasting peace" Zelensky says next.

He adds that European and Ukrainian teams will continue working on this, and will meet "in upcoming weeks" to "finalise all discussed matters".

President Trump will host the teams in Washington in January, he adds.

Trump says it was an honour to host the Ukrainian delegation, calling them "big strong people".

Zelensky then thanks Trump for a "great meeting".

He says they discussed all the aspects of the peace framework. He says a 20-point peace plan is 90% agreed, while US-Ukraine security guarantees are 100% agreed, he says.

President Trump says he and Zelensky have just spoken with European leaders.

"They're all great leaders, and we had a great talk with them", he says, adding that they made a lot of progress on ending the war in Ukraine.

Image source, Getty Images