Zelensky says Ukraine-Russia war 'will end sooner' with Trump as president

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is certain the war with Russia will end sooner than it would have once Donald Trump became president of the United States.

Zelensky said he had a constructive exchange with Trump during their telephone conversation after his victory in the US presidential election.

He did not say whether Trump had made any demands regarding possible negotiations with Russia, but said he had not heard anything from him that was contrary to Ukraine's position.

Trump has consistently said his priority is ending the war — which began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 — and what he describes as a drain on U.S. resources in the form of military aid to kyiv.

Earlier this year, the US House of Representatives approved a $61 billion (49 billion) military aid package.

The United States is Ukraine's largest arms supplier. Between the start of the war and the end of June 2024, it delivered or committed to sending weapons and equipment worth US$55.5 billion ($41.5 billion), according to the Institute of Kiel for the World Economy, a German research organization.

But domestically, support for arming Ukraine appears to have waned somewhat since the war began — particularly among Republican voters, whom Trump has successfully courted.

During the US election campaign, the former president-turned-president-elect repeatedly pledged to end the war “in one day” – but has yet to reveal how he plans to achieve it.

It is certain that the war will end sooner thanks to the policies of the team that will now run the White House. This is their approach, their promise to their citizens, Zelensky said in an interview with Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne.

He added that Ukraine “must do everything to end this war next year, through diplomatic means,” and that Russian forces are making progress on the battlefield.

The war's front lines have largely stagnated since Ukraine's long-awaited counteroffensive in 2023 failed to achieve the sweeping territorial gains it sought.

Russian forces occupy entrenched positions in the east and southeast of the country, with fighting taking place mainly in the eastern Donbass region.

Russian forces gradually advanced along the eastern front line on Friday, with heavy fighting around the northeastern town of Kupyansk and Vuhledar in the southeast, according to the Institute for Defense. Studies of War (ISW), a Washington organization. DC-based think tank.

Russian infantry also continued a “limited” offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region from the Russian border, ISW said, citing Ukrainian military sources in the region.

In an apparent bid to stem the Russian advance, Ukrainian forces launched an offensive in Russia's Kursk region over the summer, becoming the first to occupy Russian territory since World War II.

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Fighting is largely concentrated in the eastern Donbass region

Zelensky said the goal of the operation was to divert Russian troops from the front lines in Ukraine, although it is unclear whether the goal was achieved. Russia was able to rely on hundreds of thousands of conscripts to bolster its ranks, while the much smaller Ukrainian army relied on advanced weaponry supplied by the West.

But analysts say Ukraine's territory in Kursk could serve as a bargaining chip in any peace talks. Zelensky's “victory plan”, revealed last month, foresees that the offensive will continue in order to avoid the creation of “buffer zones” in Ukraine.

The renewed focus on a diplomatic solution comes amid concerns about growing war fatigue, both in Ukraine and abroad.

However, what such a solution might look like remains unclear: Zelensky has consistently refused to cede any Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which Russia has occupied since 2014.

Trump and Zelensky have long had a tumultuous relationship. Trump was impeached in 2019 over accusations that he pressured Zelensky to dig up damaging information about US President Joe Biden's family.

Despite years of differences, Trump insisted he had 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 would resolve the war “very quickly.”

His Democratic opponents have accused him of cozying up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and say his approach to war amounts to a capitulation for Ukraine that would endanger all of Europe.

Earlier this week, Russia denied reports that a call between Putin and Trump took place days after the latter's election victory, during which the president-elect warned of a further escalation of the conflict.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who spoke with Trump after the U.S. election, told German media that the new U.S. leader had a “more nuanced” stance on the war than was generally understood.

The German leader was criticized by Zelensky on Friday for a phone call with Putin – the first in almost two years. Although Scholz's office reiterated its call to end the war, Zelensky said it weakened the Russian leader's isolation.

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