‘I’m On The Side Of Peace’: Trump Optimistic For ‘Very Close’ Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal After Zelenskyy Meeting

President Donald Trump expressed his continuing hope during a Sunday press conference at Mar-a-Lago that a peace deal could be reached between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Sunday with Trump in Florida, during which the two discussed a proposed 20-point peace plan. Trump later told reporters during a joint press conference he and Zelenskyy spoke with multiple European leaders after their meeting. (RELATED: Trump Seeking Billions From BBC In Lawsuit Over Edited Speech)

“I do think we’re getting a lot closer, maybe very close,” Trump said. “The President and I just spoke to the European leaders.”

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“They were President Emmanuel Macron of France, President Alexander Stubb of the Republic of Finland, President Karol Nawrocki of the Republic of Poland, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre of the Kingdom of Norway, Prime Minister Georgia Meloni of the Italian Republic, Prime Minister Kier Starmer of the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland, Chancellor Friedrich Merz [of] the Federal Republic of Germany, Secretary General Mark Rutte, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, [and] President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission,” Trump continued.

Trump paused aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after Zelenskyy clashed with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance during a Feb. 28 meeting in the Oval Office.

Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met Aug. 15 at Alaska’s Elmendorf Air Force Base for a summit meeting during which Trump sought to secure a ceasefire in Russia’s war with Ukraine. Trump then met Aug. 18 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other major European leaders to update them on the summit.

In July, Trump reached an agreement with NATO in which members of the alliance would purchase weapons from the United States, including MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missiles, and donate them to Ukraine.

“We covered somebody would say 95%, I don’t know what percent, but we have made a lot of progress on ending that war, which is really the certainly the most deadly war since World War II, probably the biggest war since World War II,” Trump said.

“I’m on the side of peace,” Trump told reporters while taking questions at the press conference. “I’m on the side of stopping the war.”

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