Trump says 'good chance' of Ukraine-Russia deal after Florida talks

Aboard Air Force One, Undefined: US President Donald Trump said Sunday there was a “good chance” of a Russia-Ukraine deal following the latest US-Ukraine talks in Florida, but cautioned that a corruption scandal roiling Kyiv was not helpful.

“Ukraine’s got some difficult little problems,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, referring to a corruption probe that recently forced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to sack his chief of staff and top negotiator.

“But I think that there’s a good chance we can make a deal.”

Ukrainian negotiators held talks in the United States on Sunday on Washington’s plan to end the war with Russia, with Kyiv facing pressure on both the military and political fronts.

The US talks come amid turbulence for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government — a blockbuster corruption probe forced him to sack his chief of staff and top negotiator Andriy Yermak on Friday.

The Ukraine team — led by Rustem Umerov — met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff in Florida.

Washington has put forward a plan to end the more than three-year conflict that it is seeking to finalise with Moscow and Kyiv’s approval.

An initial 28-point proposal — drafted without input from Ukraine’s European allies — would have seen Kyiv withdraw from its eastern Donetsk region and the United States de facto recognise the Donetsk, Crimea and Lugansk regions as Russian.

The United States pared back the original draft following criticism from Kyiv and Europe, but the current contents remain unclear.