Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is sure the war with Russia will “end sooner” than it might have after Donald Trump became US president.
Zelensky said he had a “constructive exchange” with Trump during their phone conversation after his victory in the US presidential election.
He did not say whether Mr. Trump had made any requests regarding possible negotiations with Russia, but said he had not heard anything contrary to Ukraine’s position from grandfather.
Trump has always said his priority is to end the war and prevent what he sees as a drain on American resources in the form of military aid to Ukraine.
“There is no doubt that the war will end sooner with the policies of the team that will now lead the White House. This is their approach, their promise to their citizens,” Mr. Zelensky said in an interview with Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne.
He added that Ukraine “must do everything to end this war next year, ending it through diplomatic means.”
Mr. Zelensky said that the situation on the battlefield is very difficult as Russian forces are making progress.
He said US law only allowed him to meet Mr. Trump after he took office in January.
Trump and Zelensky have long had a tumultuous relationship. Trump was impeached in 2019 over accusations he pressured Zelensky to dig up damaging information about the Biden family.
Despite years of disagreement, Trump still insists he has a very good relationship with Zelensky.
When the two met in New York in September, Trump said he “learned a lot” from the meeting and said he would “resolve very quickly” the war.
Trump has yet to reveal how he intends to end the war.
His Democratic opponents have accused him of currying favor with Russian President Vladimir Putin and said his approach to the war would amount to a surrender to Ukraine that would endanger all of Europe.
However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who spoke to Mr Trump after his election victory, told German media that the incoming US leader had a “more nuanced” view on the war than what people usually think.
Scholz told the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper that his call with Trump was “perhaps surprisingly a very detailed and good conversation.”
Earlier this year, the US House of Representatives passed it Military aid package worth 61 billion USD for Ukraine to help fight Russian aggression.
According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German research agency, the US is the largest arms supplier to Ukraine – from February 2022 to the end of June 2024, the country delivered or pledged to supply weapons to Ukraine. gas and equipment worth 55.5 billion USD. organization.
