Ukraine war briefing
Kyiv
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia’s war against his country will “end sooner” than it otherwise would have once Donald Trump becomes US president next year.
In a radio interview aired on Saturday, the Ukrainian president conceded that the battlefield situation in eastern Ukraine was difficult and Russia was making advances. He said his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, was not interested in agreeing to a peace deal.
Zelenskyy said US legislation prevented him from meeting Trump before his inauguration next January. The Ukrainian leader said he would only talk with Trump rather than an emissary or adviser.
“I, as the president of Ukraine, will only take seriously a conversation with the president of the United States of America, with all due respect to any entourage, to any people.
“From our side, we must do everything so that this war ends next year, ends through diplomatic means,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy said on Friday that he had a “constructive exchange” with Trump during their phone conversation after his victory in the US presidential election.
“I didn’t hear anything that goes against our position,” he added. Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Friday, Trump said: “We’re going to work very hard on Russia and Ukraine. It’s got to stop.”
