The Florida Framework: Trump & Zelenskyy Claim “Very Close” to Peace Amid Thorny Territorial Standoff

In a historic announcement from the sun-drenched halls of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Sunday that a comprehensive peace deal to end the war in Ukraine is now within reach. Following intensive negotiations spanning Geneva, Berlin, Miami, and Palm Beach, the leaders revealed a 20-point peace framework that is “90% agreed” upon by U.S., Ukrainian, European, and NATO officials. “We could be very close,” President Trump stated, while cautioning that “one or two very thorny issues” remain. President Zelenskyy echoed the monumental progress, crediting weeks of sustained diplomacy. However, both leaders conspicuously highlighted the elephant in the room: the unresolved and bitterly contested status of occupied Ukrainian territories, particularly the Donbas region, which represents the final and most formidable hurdle to a final agreement.

Despite the forward momentum, the path to signing a deal is fraught with diplomatic and democratic complexity. Trump introduced a stark calculus of time versus territory, suggesting that delays could lead to further Ukrainian land losses, asking, “Are you better off making a deal now?” Zelenskyy, meanwhile, anchored any potential agreement to the will of the Ukrainian people, asserting that a final deal must comply with Ukrainian law and would likely require parliamentary approval or even a national referendum. “It’s the land of our nation for a lot of generations,” he emphasized. With plans for further talks in Washington involving European leaders, the world now watches to see if diplomacy can resolve what years of warfare could not, and whether the remaining thorny issues will puncture this fragile, but hopeful, framework for peace.