The war between Ukraine and Russia will “end sooner” than it otherwise would have done once US president elect Donald Trump enters the White House again, Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
The President of Ukraine also said his country must ensure the war ends “next year”. And he admitted that Russian forces are making territorial gains.
Zelensky said he and Trump had a “constructive exchange” during a phone call after the latter’s victory in the US presidential election. Zelensky said Trump did not say anything contrary to Ukraine’s position over the war.
“He heard the basis on which we stand,” said Zelensky. “I did not hear anything contrary to our position.”
Previously, Trump has said ending the war – and military aid that he describes as a drain on US resources – is his priority.
Now, in an interview with the Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne, Zelensky has said the war will end more quickly under a Trump administration.
“It is certain that the war will end sooner with the policies of the team that will now lead the White House,” said Zelensky. “This is their approach, their promise to their citizens.”
He then said that Ukraine “must do everything so that this war ends next year, ends through diplomatic means”, reported the BBC.
When asked if Trump had demanded that Ukraine negotiate a peace deal with Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Zelensky suggested neither he nor his country would be pushed into doing anything against their wishes.
Zelenksy said: “During this war, both our people and I personally, in negotiations with the U.S. — with Trump, Biden, and European leaders — have shown that the rhetoric of ‘Sit down and listen’ does not work with us.”
