Ukraine-Russia war will 'end sooner' once Trump becomes president, Zelenskyy says
by Shannon Cook · LBCBy Shannon Cook
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the war with Russia will 'end sooner' now that Trump is to become US president.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he wishes to end the war between Ukraine and Russia since he says the military aid to Ukraine is an unnecessary drain on the US.
“It is certain that the war will end sooner with the policies of the team that will now lead the White House. This is their approach, their promise to their citizens,” Zelenskyy told Suspilne - a Ukrainian media outlet.
He urged that Ukraine "must do everything" to ensure the war comes to a close next year and "ends through diplomatic means."
However, the Ukrainian president clarified that although he and Tump had engaged in a "constructive exchange" shortly following Trump's landscape victory in the US election, he did not discuss whether Trump had made any demands relating to potential discussions with Russia.
Read more: Donald Trump names Karoline Leavitt as youngest-ever White House press secretary
Zelenskyy added that the war between the two countries is challenging and that Russian forces are 'making advances.'
There still remains much speculation around how Donald Trump will approach the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump once said that he could put an end to the conflict in just 24-hours if he were to win the presidential election.
However, Zelensky will only be able to meet with the new US president following his inauguration in January, as dictated by US legislation.
Trump and Zelenskyy have previously had a rocky relationship, dating back to the 2019 political scandal when Trump was impeached after being accused of inciting the Ukrainian president to find detrimental details about Joe Biden and his family.
However, Trump insists that they have a good relationship.
Zelenskyy has previously stressed the importance of US aid if Ukraine is to win the war, with the US being the biggest arms supplier to the country.
German research organisation the Kiel Institute for the World Economy said that between February 2022 and the end of June 2024, the US supplied or committed military equipment with an estimated worth of $55.5bn (£41.5bn).
A $61bn (£49bn) military aid package was approved earlier this year by the US House of Representatives.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told a German newspaper that he had a "very detailed and good conversation" with Trump, and insisted that the incoming president has a "nuanced" perspective of the conflict.
Following a meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump in New York in September, Trump reportedly stated that he would end the war "very quickly."