Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed cautious optimism about a faster resolution to Ukraine’s nearly three-year war with Russia under President-elect Donald Trump.
In an interview with Suspilne, Ukraine’s public broadcaster, Zelensky noted, “With the policies of this team that will now lead the White House, the war will end faster. This is their approach, it’s their promise to their society.” He emphasized ongoing negotiations with Trump, President Joe Biden, and European leaders, highlighting Ukraine’s commitment to a just peace. “We are an independent country,” he said. “In speaking with Trump, I have not heard anything against our position.”
Zelensky confident Ukraine’s war with Russia ‘certain’ to end with Trump in office pic.twitter.com/wKd2Eg58BQ
— New York Post (@nypost) November 16, 2024
Trump has repeatedly claimed he could end the war within 24 hours, citing his relationships with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, he has provided few specifics, explaining that revealing his strategy would undermine its effectiveness. Zelensky has urged the president-elect to share detailed plans and warned that any proposal failing to remove Russian forces from Ukrainian territory would not reflect a true path to peace.
As Trump prepares to take office, questions remain about how he will navigate competing pressures from allies and adversaries. Reports of a recent conversation between Trump and Putin have added to speculation what the change in foreign policy for the United States will look like under a new administration.
For Zelensky, the priority remains to secure Ukraine’s sovereignty while cautiously engaging with the incoming administration, but a report from the BBC revealed that “the front lines of the war have largely stagnated since Ukraine’s much-anticipated counter-offensive in 2023 failed to make the sweeping territorial gains it had aimed to.
Russian forces occupy entrenched positions in the east and south-east of the country, with fighting predominantly taking place in the eastern Donbas region.
On Friday, Russian forces made incremental advances along the eastern front line, with significant fighting taking place around the north-eastern city of Kupyansk and Vuhledar in the south-east, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington DC-based think tank.
In an apparent bid to stem the Russian advances, Ukrainian forces launched a break-out offensive into Russia’s Kursk region over the summer – becoming the first to occupy Russian territory since World War Two.”
Marco Rubio will no doubt play a major role in the future of the war. Trump recently nominated the Florida senator to be the next Secretary of State and the choice has been met with surprising bipartisan support.
