America’s newly elected President Donald Trump has urged for immediate ceasefire and talks to end the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Trump has called the war “madness.” Trump also suggested that China could play an important role in peacekeeping, while he urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to seize the opportunity to act.
Trump made these comments through his social media platform Truth Social, just hours after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris on Sunday. This meeting was the first face-to-face conversation between Trump and Zelensky after Trump’s election victory last month.
Trump appealed for ceasefire
Trump wrote, ‘Zelensky and Ukraine want to make a deal and stop the madness of war.’ He claimed that Kiev had lost about 400,000 soldiers. These figures include both killed soldiers and injured.
Trump said, ‘There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. I know Vladimir very well. It is time for them to take action. China can help. The world is waiting.
Trump was in Paris to reopen the Notre Dame Cathedral. He spent about an hour with Zelensky on Saturday at a meeting hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. French and Ukrainian officials issued statements saying that talks had gone well.
What did Zelensky say?
Responding to Trump’s comments, President Zelensky stressed that peace can only be achieved through agreements, but requires credible guarantees.
He said, ‘When we talk about effective peace with Russia, we must first talk about effective guarantees for peace. The people of Ukraine want peace more than anyone else. He rejected the idea of a simple ceasefire, citing past violations by Russia.
Zelensky said, ‘The ceasefire without guarantees can be resumed at any time, as Putin has done before. To ensure that the Ukrainian people do not suffer anymore, we must guarantee the credibility of the peace and not ignore the occupation.
Zelensky also disputed the casualty figures cited by Trump, saying that 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 370,000 were wounded in the war. President Putin has previously stated his conditions for a peace agreement, which include Ukraine renouncing NATO membership and recognizing Russian control over four currently partially occupied Ukrainian territories.
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