Kiev:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly rejected his new US counterpart Donald Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire, saying Kiev would not accept any peace deal without security guarantees. The US president-elect had previously called for an “immediate ceasefire” between Russian and Ukrainian forces and called for talks to be started.
However, in a message on Telegram, Zelensky said the conflict with Moscow cannot be ended with “just a piece of paper and a few signatures.” “War cannot be endless,” he wrote, adding, “peace must be permanent and reliable.”
Zelensky met the incoming US president in Paris on Saturday with French leader Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee. The meeting took place amid concerns that Trump could “probably” cut aid to Ukraine.
What Trump said?
In an interview that aired Sunday but was recorded before Saturday's meeting, Trump said his incoming administration would cut aid to Ukraine, a country Washington has steadfastly supported since Russia's invasion nearly three years ago.
Trump said in an interview that aired Sunday but was recorded before Saturday's meeting that his incoming administration would cut aid to Ukraine, which Washington has steadfastly supported since Russia's invasion nearly three years ago.
“Possibly. Yeah, probably, definitely,” Trump told NBC's “Meet the Press.” He also boasted that he could end the conflict quickly, without saying how.
Trump previously called for an “immediate ceasefire” and called for talks to start. “Too many lives are being so needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed, and if it continues, it could spiral into something much bigger and much worse,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He also said he has good relations with Putin. Meanwhile, Moscow and Kiev are preparing for his arrival at the White House, with an escalation of deadly attacks in recent weeks in the long-running conflict.
What Zelensky said?
After the meeting, the Ukrainian leader said on Sunday that Kiev needs “lasting” peace to protect the country from Russia. Mr Zelenskiy, who had previously opposed any territorial concessions, has softened his position in recent months. His army is struggling on the front lines and fears of declining Western aid are growing. He has even floated the idea of temporarily relinquishing Russian-controlled areas – about a fifth of Ukraine – in exchange for NATO security guarantees and arms supplies from the West.
“I have stated that we need a just and lasting peace – a peace that the Russians will not be able to destroy in a few years, as they have repeatedly done in the past,” Zelensky said in a post on social media.
Nearly three years of war have ravaged Ukraine, killing thousands and forcing millions to flee the country. “The Ukrainians want peace more than anyone,” Zelensky said. “Russia has brought war to our country, and it is Russia that is trying most to disrupt the possibility of peace.”
He called on Western allies “not to turn a blind eye to the occupation” and said Kiev would only agree to a deal that would bring long-term peace.
“War cannot be endless – only peace must be permanent and reliable,” he said.
In a rare admission, Zelensky said 43,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed in the fighting, while around 370,000 were injured.
“This is what this war is about,” Zelensky wrote. “It cannot be completed with just a piece of paper and a few signatures…War cannot be endless,” he wrote, adding: “Peace must be permanent and reliable.”
The Russian position
The Kremlin, meanwhile, accused Ukraine of “refusing” to negotiate an end to the war. It said the conditions for entering peace talks – including Kiev giving up four regions – remain unchanged.
“The Ukrainian side refused and refuses to negotiate,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He referred to a 2022 Ukrainian decree that rules out talks with Putin, but not with other Russian officials.
