Kiev:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview broadcast on Thursday that the “unpredictability” of new US President Donald Trump could help end the war with Russia.
Trump, who takes power on January 20, has said he will end the nearly three-year conflict within “24 hours” once he is in power, a claim that has drawn skepticism from Kiev, which fears the country could be forced to will be giving up land for peace.
“He is very strong and unpredictable, and I would love to see President Trump's unpredictability apply to Russia as well. I believe he really wants to end the war,” Zelensky said in an interview with Ukrainian television.
The Ukrainian leader has tried to build bridges with Trump and his team since the November election, fearing the Republican could delay or completely cut off crucial U.S. military aid.
Zelensky said he supported the idea of France deploying peacekeepers in Ukraine to guarantee a future peace deal with Russia if one materializes, but stressed that this should be a step toward joining the NATO military alliance .
“We support this initiative, but France alone is not enough. We would not want it to be just one or two countries when it comes to this initiative. It must certainly be on its way to NATO,” Zelenskiy said.
French President Emmanuel Macron has previously floated the idea of sending Western troops to Ukraine. Last year he said “boots on the ground” could not be ruled out.
In addition, Zelensky acknowledged that the Ukrainian army was fatigued under the brutal Russian attack on the front lines.
“They are pressing and the guys are tired,” Zelensky said.
Russia advanced in Ukraine by almost 4,000 square kilometers (1,500 square miles) last year, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War, while Kiev's military suffered chronic manpower shortages and attrition.
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