Zelensky says Trump presidency means quicker end to war

Nov. 16 (UPI) — The war in Ukraine and Russia will end sooner when Donald Trump becomes president, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

On Friday, Zelensky told Ukrainian public broadcasting radio station Suspilne the Trump administration, which takes over Jan. 20, will place an importance on ending the war that began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

“This is their approach, their promise to their society,” Zelensky told Suspilne, “and it is also very important to them.”

Ukrainian officials “must do everything to ensure that the war ends next year through diplomatic means,” Zelensky added.

Trump has said Russia never would have invaded Ukraine if he were president at the time, and in July said he could end the war quickly without saying how he would do that.

Trump has advocated for “peace through strength,” which was a hallmark of his first administration.

Zelenksy on Friday said a return to that approach will end the war faster than it would under President Joe Biden’s administration.

“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs,” Zelensky said in a post on X on Nov. 6.

“This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer,” Zelensky said. “I am hopeful that we will put it into action together.”

Zelensky said a post-election phone conversation with Trump was “constructive” and led him to believe the incoming Trump administration and Zelensky’s administration in Ukraine are unified in their respective positions regarding the war in Ukraine and Russia.

Trump has said he wants to end the war and its reliance on military aid from the United States to Ukraine, such as the recent $61billion military aid package to Ukraine that the House of Representatives approved earlier in 2024.

The United States is the largest supplier of military aid to Ukraine and delivered or agreed to deliver $55.5 billion in arms from February 2022 through June 2024, according to Germany’s Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

North Korea recently sent 10,000 soldiers to help Russia defeat Ukraine after Russia suffered an average daily loss of 1,250 troops.