Zelensky says Ukraine’s war will end ‘faster’ under Trump presidency

CNN
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Russia’s war in Ukraine will end “quicker” when Donald Trump takes over as US president.

In a radio interview with Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne, Zelensky admitted that he had a difficult situation on the battlefield, where Russia has pressed its advantages in manpower and weapons.

He said the war “will end sooner with the policies of this team that will now lead the White House,” referring to the incoming Trump administration

“This is their approach, their promise to their community, and it’s also very important to them,” he added.

Zelensky stressed that from Ukraine’s side, “we must do everything to ensure that the war ends next year by diplomatic means.”

Trump, who was elected for a second term earlier this month, has repeatedly claimed that the war between Ukraine and Russia would not have started if he had been president. In July he said he could settle the war in one day – without saying how he would do it.

Throughout his campaign, the president-elect and his running mate, JD Vance, cast strong doubt on America’s continued involvement in Kiev. The war has been going on for more than two-and-a-half years since the massive invasion by Russian forces in February 2022.

Russia is making gains in key locations along the front lines in eastern and southeastern Ukraine, moving closer to key hubs such as the city of Kurakhove. Russia claimed on Saturday that it captured two more eastern settlements in the Donetsk region, although there was no confirmation from Ukraine.

At the same time, Moscow is preparing to launch a counteroffensive in the southern Russian region of Kursk, the site of Kyiv’s only major military success this year.

Zelensky admitted that the situation in Ukraine’s east was “actually difficult.”

“There is a slow but steady pressure and advance by the Russians,” he said, adding that they had been waiting for the delivery of some weapons for 12 months.

However, the Ukrainian leader highlighted that Russia’s advances had come at a high cost to Moscow’s forces, saying they were losing up to 2,000 men a day.

“These are terrible losses,” he said. “They cannot keep advancing with such losses.”

A phone call on Friday between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin drew criticism from Zelensky, who accused Scholz of opening a “Pandora’s box” that is only working to undermine efforts to isolate Russia’s leader.

The conversation on Friday was the first time Scholz spoke with Putin in two years.