Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday said Russia’s war in Ukraine will end “faster” when Donald Trump takes over as US president.
Speaking in a radio interview with Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne, Zelensky admitted to a difficult situation on the battlefield, where Russia has been pressing its advantages in manpower and weaponry.
He said the war “will end faster with the policy of this team that will now lead the White House,” referring to the incoming Trump administration
“This is their approach, their promise to their society, and it is also very important to them,” he added.
Zelensky stressed that, on Ukraine’s part, “We must do everything to ensure that the war ends next year through diplomatic means.”
Trump, who was elected for a second term earlier this month, has repeatedly claimed that the Ukraine-Russia war would not have started if he had been president. In July, he said he could settle the war in one day – without saying how he would do so.
Throughout his campaign, the president-elect and his running mate, JD Vance, cast strong doubts on continued US commitment to Kyiv. The war has been ongoing for more than two and a half years, following the large-scale invasion of Russian forces in February 2022.
Meanwhile G7 leaders on Saturday issued a message of unwavering support to Ukraine. “We stand in solidarity contributing to [Ukraine’s] fight for sovereignty, freedom, independence, territorial integrity and its reconstruction,” a statement said.
The group said Russia was “the sole obstacle to just and lasting peace.”
Russia is making gains at key spots along the frontlines of eastern and southeastern Ukraine, moving closer to key hubs like the city of Kurakhove. Russia claimed Saturday it captured two more eastern settlements in the Donetsk region, although there was no confirmation from Ukraine.
At the same time, Moscow is preparing to launch a counteroffensive in the southern Russian region of Kursk, the site of Kyiv’s only major military success this year.
Zelensky admitted the situation in Ukraine’s east was “indeed difficult.”
“There is a slow but steady pressure and advance of the Russians,” he said, adding that they had been waiting for the delivery of some weapons for 12 months.
However, the Ukrainian leader highlighted that Russia’s advances had come at a heavy price for Moscow’s forces, saying they were losing up to 2,000 men per day.
“These are terrible losses,” he said. “They cannot keep advancing with such losses.”
A phone call on Friday between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin drew criticism from Zelensky, who accused Scholz of opening a “Pandora’s box” that only works to undermine efforts to isolate Russia’s leader.
The conversation on Friday was the first time Scholz had spoken with Putin in two years.
CNN’s Ivana Kottasová contributed to this report.