WASHINGTON//VIENNA - US President Donald Trump said Sunday that the two sides are "getting a lot closer, maybe very close" to a peace deal to end the Ukraine crisis after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

However, there is little sign that any major breakthrough is emerging, though Trump described the talks as "excellent" with "a lot of progresses" made.

"This is not a one-day process deal. This is very complicated stuff," Trump said at a joint press conference with Zelensky after the meeting, where the two leaders also spoke to European leaders.

"In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other, I think," Trump said. "It's been a very difficult negotiation."

It is widely thought that thorny issues include a potential timetable for a ceasefire, the establishment of a proposed demilitarised zone, the management of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and control of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.

"We discussed all the aspects of the peace framework," Zelensky said of his meeting with Trump at the press conference, noting that the 20-point peace plan now was "90 percent" complete -- the same figure he mentioned earlier this month.

As for the security guarantees for Ukraine, Zelensky said the United States, Ukraine and Europe have almost 100 percent agreed on security guarantees for Ukraine.

Trump said that he does not like to say percentages, but "thinks it could be close to 95 percent" on the security issue.

"We could be very close. There are one or two very thorny issues, very tough issues, but I think we're doing very well," Trump said. Both Trump and Zelensky failed to specify the issues.

The two leaders spoke to European leaders, including chiefs of NATO and European Union, during the course of their meeting. Zelensky said Trump may meet him and European leaders in Washington in January as he and Trump "agreed that our teams will meet in upcoming weeks to finalize all discussed matters".

'No deadline' 

Trump on Sunday refused to say whether he expects a peace deal over the Ukraine crisis to be reached by the end of 2025.

"I don't have deadlines. You know what my deadline is? Getting the war ended," Trump told reporters at the start of his meeting with Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

Asked whether their Sunday talks will lead to a peace deal, Trump said: "It depends -- I do believe we have the makings of a deal," noting that the Ukraine crisis has proved difficult to solve.

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Zelensky said his talks with Trump will focus on the latest draft of a 20-point peace plan and the sequencing of a settlement.

"It's very important our teams talk about strategy -- how to make step-by-step, and to bring peace closer," Zelensky said.

'Productive telephone call'

Ahead of the meeting with Zelensky, Trump said on Truth Social that he "had a good and very productive telephone call" with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I just had a good and very productive telephone call with President Putin of Russia prior to my meeting, at 1:00 P.M. today, with President Zelensky of Ukraine," said Trump on Truth Social.

"The meeting will take place in the main dining room of Mar-a-Lago. Press is invited," he added.

During the phone call, Trump and Putin agreed that a temporary ceasefire would only prolong the Ukraine crisis, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said.

The two presidents "hold broadly similar views that the temporary ceasefire proposed by the Ukrainians and Europeans, under the pretext of preparing for a referendum or other pretexts, will only prolong the conflict and risk a resumption of hostilities," Ushakov said.

Power line 

Crucial power line repairs have begun near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) following a local ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the IAEA said on social media platform X on Sunday.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi expressed gratitude to both Russia and Ukraine for agreeing to the temporary truce, describing it as a "window of silence" that would allow the restoration of power transmission between the switchyards of the ZNPP and the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant. He said the work would help strengthen nuclear safety at the site.

The IAEA said its team is monitoring the repair work as part of ongoing efforts to prevent a nuclear accident amid the military conflict. According to the agency, the repairs are expected to take several days.

On Dec 15, power transmission between the ZNPP switchyard and the Zaporizhzhia Thermal Power Plant switchyard through the autotransformer became unavailable, significantly reducing the flexibility and resilience of the site's electrical configuration. An investigation conducted by the ZNPP identified damage to the transmission line between the autotransformer and the thermal power plant switchyard, reportedly caused by military activity.