Goa, Dec. 29 -- Former U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war are now "closer than ever before," following what he described as a "terrific meeting" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Trump, who has repeatedly vowed to broker a ceasefire immediately if elected to a second term, cautioned that the talks remain complicated and could still collapse - potentially allowing the conflict, which began in February 2022, to continue for years.

He added that the coming weeks would reveal whether meaningful progress toward a peace agreement is possible, as both sides weigh proposals to halt the fighting that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

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