Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the war with Russia will come to an end “faster” under President-elect Donald Trump's administration. Zelensky acknowledged the tough circumstances his military is in during an interview with Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne, which was published Saturday, but emphasized that the conflict has to end “next year through diplomatic means,” The Hill reported. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reportedly told Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war with Ukraine during a Friday phone call.
Although Trump has suggested he will not continue to indefinitely fund Ukraine’s war effort, Zelensky is apparently optimistic that Trump will work to broker a peace deal and the war “will end faster with the policy of this team that will now lead the White House,” he said in reference to the the new Republican administration that will begin with Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025. Trump has also said that he would end the war once he takes office.
Trump has often said that he does not believe Russia would have invaded Ukraine if he had been president and he has promised to end the war in one day when he resumes his presidency. Trump has discussed a peace plan that would not consider Ukraine for membership in NATO for at least 20 years. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“This is their approach, their promise to their society, and it is also very important to them,” Zelensky said in the interview about the Trump team. The Russian military continues to occupy large sectors of Eastern Ukraine and is ready to expel Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region, where Zelensky enjoyed some mild success last summer.
“There is a slow but steady pressure and advance of the Russians,” Zelensky said, admitting that he cannot win a war of attrition with Russia in either personnel or materiel. The Ukrainian leader also suggested that the Russians have incurred serious losses of solders and equipment in the past few weeks.
Zelensky said he spoke to Trump to congratulate him following his stunning victory on Nov. 5 and that he also chatted with Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who Trump has nominated, along with businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, to head his new Department of Government Efficiency. Trump’s victory and fears that he will pull the plug on US aid to Ukraine, prompted the Biden-Harris administration to attempt to expedite the delivery of another $6 billion in assistance to Ukraine before Trump takes office. On Sunday it also reportedly agreed that Ukraine could use US long-range missiles to fire at targets inside Russia.
“This is the kind of America that Europe needs. And a strong Europe is what America needs, to my mind,” the Ukrainian leader said earlier this month. “This is the connection between allies that must be valued and cannot be lost.”
