Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky sounded optimistic during a televised interview Thursday, saying he believed President-elect Donald Trump could be “decisive” in ending the war as Kiev marked the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion. .
“Trump can be decisive. That’s the most important thing for us,” Zielinski said, Reuters reported. “His qualities are really there.
“He can be decisive in this battle. He has the ability to stop. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin or, more accurately, help us stop Putin,” he added. “He’s capable of doing that.”
Then-former President Donald Trump, right, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, at Trump Tower in New York City. (AP Photo/Julia DeMarie Nickson)
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Zelensky said Trump assured him that Kiev would join him on his first presidential visits after his inauguration later this month as Ukraine seeks to stabilize the front lines.
Stopping the Russian advance early in the new year is a top priority for Zelensky, who has also reportedly claimed that Putin fears negotiations because Kremlin chiefs see them as a Russian defeat.
Despite About three years Because of the war, Russia has not only failed to achieve its initial war objectives, but also Putin’s revised plans, which he announced last year. What he did say was that his main goal now was to capture all of Donbass — a region in eastern Ukraine that includes most of the country. Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
However, it is not only Putin who views potential peace talks with apparent trepidation.
Zelensky has said he welcomes peace talks, but has also made it clear that any talks to end the war will only be accepted if Ukraine Some security guarantees have been given. – The possibility of joining NATO.
Fellow soldiers carry the coffin of renowned musical and drama theater actor Petro Velky, 48, who was killed in fighting with Russian troops in Russia’s Kursk region, during a farewell ceremony in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Nov. 27. 2024. (AP Photo/Dan Bashakoff)
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“Naturally, any security guarantees without the United States are weak security guarantees for Ukraine,” he said, though he added that Washington should take into account Kiev’s future security.
“It cannot be otherwise,” he added. “We are Ukraine, and this is our freedom, our land and our future.”
Putin, on the other hand, has said he will not accept any ceasefire talks that do not include guarantees that Kiev is barred from joining the 32-member body, which Article 5 of the Alliance Treaty says That a member will be attacked. An attack by all NATO countries would effectively ensure a united attack on Moscow if it were to target Ukraine once again.
A serviceman from the 24th Mechanized Brigade named after King Danilo of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fires 2s5 “Hyacinth-s” self-propelled 2s5 “Hyacinth-s” towards Russian troops on a front line amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, near the town of Chasiv Yar. The howitzer is firing. In Donetsk region, Ukraine, on November 18, 2024. (Oleg Petrasyuk/Press Service of the 24th King Danilo Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS)
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Zelenskiy, who has led the country since 2019, was also asked if he would consider running for the presidency again.
The Ukrainian president reiterated that The nation cannot hold an election While under the current constitution of the country, the situation is at war, but he said that he can consider it after the conflict is over.
He said that I don’t know how this war will end. “If I could do more than I could afford, I would probably look at a decision like that. [seeking re-election] more positive. Right now, that’s not a goal for me.”
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the Trump transition team for comment.