Here's the REAL reason why Trump chose Mar-a-Lago to meet Ukraine's Zelensky instead of White House?

US President Donald Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday (Dec 28) at Mar-a-Lago and said that they were "getting a lot closer, maybe very close" to an agreement to end the war in Ukraine. He also had a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Amid questions around the fate of the disputed Donbas region, a major query that came to the minds was why Zelensky and Trump met in Mar-a-Lago and not the White House.

The holidays have begun in the US and though most of the official meetings between Trump and other foreign leaders are held at the Oval Office of the White House, this time the two global leaders met at Florida's Mar-a-Lago estate. This was so because Trump went to Florida's West Palm Beach on December 19 amid holiday season and has been there since. Most US presidents spend much of their year-ends at various holiday destinations, BBC reported, adding the example that Joe Biden was in the US Virgin Islands at around this time last year.

Trump-Zelensky meet and update on Russia-Ukraine war

Trump said that a deal was closer than ever to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine but reported no apparent breakthrough on the flashpoint issue of territory after new talks with the warring countries' leaders. Trump, who had promised a peace deal on day one of his nearly year-old presidency, said it would become clear within weeks whether it was possible to solve the conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people. Zelensky described a peace plan as 95 percent complete despite Russia unleashing major new attacks a day before on Kyiv's residential areas.

"I really believe we're, Mr. President, probably closer than -- far closer than -- ever before with both parties," Trump said with Zelensky at his side in the tea room of his Mar-a-Lago estate. "Everybody wants it ended," Trump said. Zelensky looked on politely, only betraying the slightest look of disbelief as Trump told him that Putin, who ordered the February 2022 invasion that has included major attacks on infrastructure, "wants to see Ukraine succeed."

Trump acknowledged continued disagreement between Kyiv and Moscow on territory. The current plan, revised after weeks of intense US-Ukrainian negotiations, would stop the war at the current frontlines in the eastern Donbas region and set up a demilitarized area, while Russia has long demanded territorial concessions. "It's unresolved, but it's getting a lot closer. That's a very tough issue, but one that I think will get resolved," Trump said.

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