Zelensky asks Trump for 50 years of security guarantees

Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said Monday he had asked for up to 50 years of security guarantees for Ukraine during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump over the weekend.

Commenting on talks with Trump in Florida on Sunday, Zelensky told reporters that he said a meeting with Russia would only be possible after the president and European leaders agree on a framework peace deal for Ukraine.

In his comments, reported by Reuters on Monday, Zelensky said he had asked for security guarantees for up to 50 years for Ukraine, but that the current 20-point peace plan included guarantees – aimed at deterring future Russian aggression – for 15 years.

Zelensky said he planned to meet with European leaders in the coming days to discuss the proposals.

Any peace plan should be put to the Ukrainian people in a referendum, he added, stressing that any vote to approve or reject the deal should take place during a 60-day ceasefire. Zelenskyy said “Russia clearly does not want a ceasefire right now” after several days of intensive drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.

Ukraine’s comments come after talks with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Sunday. Trump said the discussions went well, but acknowledged that “one or two very thorny questions” remained.

“I think we’re getting a lot closer, maybe very close,” Trump told reporters after the negotiations.

Zelensky, meanwhile, described the negotiations as a “very big discussion” in which security guarantees were “agreed upon 100 percent,” but Trump gave a slightly lower estimate when asked about that part of the proposal.

When asked by a reporter what issues remained unresolved, Trump responded that it was “land.”

“Some of that land has been taken,” Trump said. “Some of this land may be up for grabs, but it could be taken over the next few months, and it’s best to make a deal now.”

Moscow has demanded that Ukraine cede the eastern Donbass region to Russia and has so far rejected security guarantees for kyiv. For its part, Ukraine has repeatedly rejected calls for Donbass, which is largely, but not entirely, occupied by Russian forces, to be handed over to Moscow.

It is unclear whether Zelensky would meet face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin if a peace deal is reached in principle, as the two leaders have vehemently refused to meet in the past.

— CNBC’s Hugh Son contributed reporting to this story.