Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed confidence that ‘strong’ US President-elect Donald Trump can force Russia into peace talks and end the war in Ukraine.
In an interview with American podcaster Lex Fridman published on Sunday, Zelensky said the Republican would play an important role in ensuring Ukraine’s security and paving the way for a negotiated solution.
“Trump and I will reach an agreement and (…) together with Europe, provide strong security guarantees, and then we can talk to the Russians,” Zelensky said, according to the published translation of the conversation. “We and Trump come first, and Europe will support Ukraine’s position.”
Trump takes office on January 20. During the election campaign, he announced that he would restore peace to Ukraine “within 24 hours” of taking office. This was met with skepticism in Ukraine: Kiev fears it could be forced into an agreement that is unfavorable for the country.
Praise for Trump
Nevertheless, Zelenskyj was now full of praise for Trump. “I really count on him, and I believe that our people really count on him, so that he has enough power to (…) put pressure on Putin,” the Ukrainian leader said.
European leaders are all waiting to see what Trump wants, Zelensky continued. After his conversations with Trump, everyone always asked him how things were going. “This shows the influence of Donald Trump, and this has never been seen before with an American president,” the Ukrainian head of state said. “That also gives confidence that he can end this war.”
Zelensky also said Trump won the US presidential election over his rival Kamala Harris because he was “much stronger” than the Democrat. Trump showed “intellectual and physical” strength, Zelensky said. It was important to show “that you have to be strong if you want to have a strong country. And he was strong.”
NATO membership against Donbass
In the podcast, Zelenskyj put forward a concrete mental model for a possible end to the war: immediate NATO membership for his country in exchange for giving up Russian-occupied territories in eastern Ukraine. “However, our country will only be able to agree to this if certain conditions are met,” Zelensky said in an interview with Fridman. “Legally speaking, there is an invitation from NATO to Ukraine, and we do not recognize all other Ukrainian territories, but NATO can operate in the part that is under Ukrainian control – that can be agreed upon,” said Zelensky, who suggested a possible scenario described. .
But this would only be possible if Ukraine saw a diplomatic way to end the war, he specified. To achieve peace, in addition to NATO membership, Ukraine must receive strong weapons packages from the US and the EU as an additional security guarantee. “Because without security guarantees, (Russian leader Vladimir) Putin will come back,” Zelensky said. And to further consolidate a possible peace or ceasefire, further sanctions against Russia would be needed to prevent Putin from further filling his war chest with revenue from oil and gas sales.
‘Putin will not end the war alone’
Ultimately, Trump must convince the Russian president to agree to a ceasefire. But then strong security guarantees would be necessary. “Because a ceasefire without guarantees is like carte blanche for Putin,” Zelensky warned. He sees that Trump has a difficult task. “But don’t wait until Putin wants to end the war on his own.”
Lex Fridman is of Ukrainian Jewish descent and grew up in Moscow during the Soviet era before his family moved to the US in the 1990s. He is a computer scientist and podcaster. His guests included Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ultra-liberal Argentine head of state Javier Milei.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
