According to Reuters, President Trump did not disclose potential sanctions that are different from the series of embargoes that the US has imposed on Russia since February 2022. The White House boss said that the new administration team is also considering the issue of sending weapons to Ukraine, and added that the European Union (EU) should do more to support Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on January 21, 2025
“We are talking to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, we will talk to President Putin soon. We will look into this issue,” according to Mr. Trump. President Trump also revealed that he asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to join the effort to end the war in Ukraine.
Mr. Trump once vowed to end the conflict in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, considering this one of the key commitments during the election period. However, during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago in early January, the US leader stated a deadline of “less than 6 months” to find a solution to the conflict.
In another development, speaking from the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos (Switzerland), the President of Ukraine said 200,000 European peacekeeping troops were needed to ensure security after a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine. “From all of Europe, a minimum of 200,000 troops are needed. Otherwise, it’s nothing,” Mr. Zelensky replied when asked about the idea of establishing a peacekeeping force.
According to Reuters, that number is nearly equal to the size of the entire French armed forces, estimated at just over 200,000 troops according to the French Ministry of Defense in 2020. Mr. Zelensky also said this number is only a part of the guarantees. security that Kyiv needs to cope with the size of 1.5 million troops of Russia’s armed forces.
The Ukrainian leader also said he is trying to arrange a meeting with US President Donald Trump, but there is currently no specific timeline.
