Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday (15) that Russia’s war in Ukraine will end “faster” when Donald Trump takes over as US president.
Zelensky admitted a difficult situation on the battlefield, where Russia has been pressing its advantages in manpower and weaponry, in a radio interview with Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne.
He said the war “will end faster with the policy of this team that will now lead the White House,” referring to the
“This is their approach, their promise to society, and it is also very important to them,” he added.
emphasized that, on Ukraine’s part, “we must do everything to ensure that the war ends next year through diplomatic means.”
Trump, who was elected to a second term earlier this month, has repeatedly stated that the war between Ukraine and Russia would not have started if he were president. In July he claimed he could resolve the war in a day.
Throughout his campaign, the president-elect and his running mate, J.D. Vance, have cast strong doubts on the U.S.’s continued commitment to Kiev. The war has been ongoing for more than two and a half years, following the full-scale invasion by Russian forces in February 2022.
Meanwhile, G7 leaders on Saturday issued a message of unwavering support for Ukraine. “We are in solidarity, contributing to the fight [da Ucrânia] for sovereignty, freedom, independence, territorial integrity and its reconstruction,” said a statement.
The group said Russia was “the only obstacle to a just and lasting peace.”
Russia is making gains along Ukraine’s eastern and southeastern front lines, closing in on key centers such as the city of Kurakhove. Moscow said on Saturday it had captured two more eastern settlements in the Donetsk region, although Ukraine did not confirm this.
At the same time, Russia is preparing to launch a counteroffensive in the Kursk region in the south of the country, the site of Kiev’s only major military success this year.
Zelensky admitted that the situation in eastern Ukraine was “really difficult”.
“There is a slow but steady pressure and advance from the Russians,” he said, adding that they had been waiting for some weapons to be delivered for 12 months.
However, the Ukrainian leader highlighted that Russia’s advances had taken a heavy toll on Moscow’s forces, saying they were losing up to 2,000 men a day.
“These are terrible losses,” he said. “They cannot continue to move forward with such losses,” he added.
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 only works to undermine efforts to isolate Russia’s leader.
The conversation on Friday was the first time Scholz spoke to Putin in two years.
