Under Donald Trump’s leadership as US president, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky expressed confidence that the Ukrainian war with Russia would end. Zelensky called Trump after he won the election and had a constructive exchange. He said he heard nothing against Ukraine’s position but did not reveal whether Trump made any demands on talks with Russia.
Trump has made it clear that cutting back on US military aid to Ukraine and ending the war are his primary goals. In response to Russia’s invasion, the US House of Representatives authorized $61 billion in military assistance to Ukraine this year.
According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, the US remains Ukraine’s top arms supplier, pledging or delivering $55.5 billion in weaponry and equipment between February 2022 and June 2024.
Zelensky, in an interview with Ukrainian media, stated that the new White House policies would speed up the war’s conclusion. He stressed that Ukraine must pursue all possible diplomatic efforts to end the conflict next year.
Tension has existed between Trump and Zelensky since Trump was impeached in 2019 for allegedly forcing Zelensky to look into the family of US President Joe Biden. Trump insists he had a good relationship with Zelensky despite their troubled past. He also said he learned much during their September conversation in New York and promised to end the conflict immediately.
However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently spoke with Trump and remarked that Trump’s approach to the Ukrainian war with Russia was more nuanced than perceived. Zelensky criticized Scholz’s conversation with Putin, claiming it undermined international pressure on the Russian leader.
