Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed optimism that “strong” US President-elect Donald Trump will be able to force Russia to participate in peace talks and end hostilities in Ukraine.
In a 3-hour interview with American journalist Lex Fridman broadcast on January 5, Mr. Zelensky said that the Republican president-elect plays a decisive role in ensuring Ukraine’s security, paving the way for peace. Settlement negotiations are also supported by Europe.
President Zelensky: Peace is not a free gift, but America will stand with Ukraine
“Mr. Trump and I will reach an agreement and… make strong security commitments, together with Europe, and then we can talk with the Russian side,” Mr. Zelensky said.
During his election campaign, Mr. Trump vowed to bring peace to Ukraine immediately, although he did not say how. He has strongly criticized the massive military aid sent to Ukraine under President Joe Biden and expressed doubts about US participation in NATO.
Mr. Trump (right) meets Mr. Zelensky in New York September 27, 2024
However, President Zelensky highly praised Trump as well as billionaire Elon Musk, who Trump chose to lead the US Government Effectiveness Committee, and said that the president-elect has enough influence necessary to at least stop the war.
Commenting on American politics, the Ukrainian President said that Mr. Trump was elected because he was “much stronger” than the Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Mr. Trump has shown strength “intellectually and physically,” Mr. Zelensky said. “It’s an important point to prove that if you want a strong country, you have to be strong. And he was strong,” he added.
When asked what Ukraine needed to agree to a ceasefire, Mr. Zelensky replied that it needed security guarantees, preferably within the NATO framework.
Does the West not rule out the possibility of Ukraine’s defense capabilities collapsing?
In addition, the President of Ukraine also warned that NATO would be affected if the US reduced its commitments or withdrew from the alliance, something Mr. Trump repeatedly hinted at.
The US leaving the bloc will be “the end, meaning the death of NATO”, Mr. Zelensky warned.
In another development, p The Kyiv Independent On January 6, Ukrainian Army Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said he had directed the reinforcement of the 155th Mechanized Brigade with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), following information about desertion and poor management.
“I pay special attention to building the capacity of the unmanned systems unit of the 155th Mechanized Brigade, as well as the difficult issues that need to be resolved,” he said.
The statement was made after a media investigation that the soldiers of this unit, currently deployed near the town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, had suffered losses and were absent without leave in large numbers, due to the situation. poor command and organization on the Ukrainian side. The State Investigation Service of Ukraine has opened an investigation.
