Trump hails Pete Hegseth as ‘fantastic at what he’s doing’ during Zelensky meeting

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: President Donald Trump on Sunday, December 28, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for talks aimed at ending the nearly four-year war between Ukraine and Russia, where he praised Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for his involvement. The president further announced the creation of a working group to settle the conflict.

'Working group' announcement and Pete Hegseth's involvement

When a reporter asked Trump about the creation of a "working group" based on a readout from Moscow, he explained, “So, the working group is gonna be composed of Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, General Raizin Caine, Marco Rubio, and a few other people that would gonna be putting on to…. I think Pete Hegseth should be on that working group.”

He went on to say, “He knows the territory very well. He’s been fantastic at what he is doing.”

The POTUS ended by saying, “And they may add one or two people. And likewise, Ukraine is going to have some very good people that were at lunch today."

The group will be working on Ukraine and will interact with the Russian side during discussions on the settlement of the conflict.

Zelensky, in turn, stated that the Ukrainian working group on the settlement would include Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andriy Gnatov, and First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Serhiy Kyslytsya.

Renewed diplomatic efforts to stop Russia-Ukraine conflict

The meeting comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts, following Trump’s phone call earlier in the day with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Both leaders indicated progress toward a potential agreement, though major differences remain, particularly over territory. The talks are centered on a US-brokered peace framework that Ukraine says is nearing completion.

Trump welcomed Zelensky outside his Palm Beach residence before the two leaders entered Mar-a-Lago for private discussions.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said that he believes both Ukraine and Russia want to reach a peace deal.

“I do, I think he is. I think they both are,” the 79-year-old said when asked whether he believed Putin was serious about ending the war. 

However, he stopped short of predicting an immediate breakthrough, adding, “It depends. I do believe we have the makings of a deal.”

Talks focused on Ukraine's 20-point peace plan

Zelensky said that the meeting would focus on advancing a 20-point peace plan that has been under discussion between Ukrainian and US officials for weeks.

“It’s very important our teams talk about strategy, how to make step-by-step, and to bring peace closer,” he said, adding that roughly 90% of the plan has already been discussed.