Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he considers President-elect Donald Trump a supporter of Ukraine and believes the war with Russia will end “sooner” because of his administration.
In an interview with the Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne published over the weekend, Zelensky was asked his opinion about Trump’s recent election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I congratulated him on his victory. And we also had a good conversation. He said he wanted to end the war, but he wanted to help,” said Zelensky, as rendered by Google Translate.
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“And he is on the side of supporting Ukraine, appreciates our strength, integrity and courage. That is, the atmosphere in our conversations was good so far.”
Zelensky believes “with the policies of the team that will now lead the White House, the war will end sooner” though he did not have an “exact date” for that.
“I think Putin does not want peace. But this does not mean that he does not want to sit down at the negotiating table with one of the leaders. For him, this is the destruction of political isolation. It is beneficial for him to sit down and talk,” he continued.
Shortly after Election Day, Zelensky wrote a message posted on X congratulating Trump on his victory over the Democrat Harris, citing a meeting Trump had with the Ukrainian president in September.
“I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine,” wrote Zelensky.
“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer,” he said. “I am hopeful that we will put it into action together.”
On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, with Russian President Vladimir Putin claiming that the attack was aimed at securing the rights of pro-Russian communities in Eastern Ukraine.
Although many believed that Russian forces would steamroll Ukraine in a relatively short period of time, Ukrainian resistance was surprisingly resilient, with the invasion bogging down.
In August, Ukraine launched a surprise counter-invasion of Russia, taking swathes of territory in the Western Russian region of Kursk. In addition to Russian forces, the Kremlin has enlisted approximately 10,000 North Korean troops to take back the area, reported The Washington Post.
Russian forces have also been steadily making gains in portions of eastern and southeast Ukraine, doing so with considerable losses.
