Trump calls for immediate Ukraine-Russia ceasefire
Donald Trump said said US should distance itself from the new situation in Syria. PHOTO: FILE
US President-elect Donald Trump has called for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations to end the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, describing the situation as "madness."
Trump's comments on Sunday came shortly after his first face-to-face meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Paris. However, neither side provided detailed accounts of the discussion, only describing the talks as "good and productive."
Posting on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump stated, "Zelenskiy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness," while claiming that Kyiv had lost approximately 400,000 soldiers, a figure later clarified to include both killed and wounded.
Trump emphasised the need for Russian President Vladimir Putin to act, suggesting that China could also play a role in brokering peace.
Zelenskiy responded on Sunday, stressing that peace must come with guarantees to prevent further escalation. "A ceasefire without guarantees can be reignited at any moment, as Putin has done before," he said, adding that Ukraine seeks peace but not at the cost of ignoring Russian occupation or the need for reliable assurances.
Zelenskiy cited Ukraine's own casualty figures as 43,000 soldiers killed and 370,000 wounded.
The Kremlin, through spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, reiterated Russia's openness to negotiations but stipulated that discussions must be based on agreements made in Istanbul in 2022 and the current realities on the battlefield.
Peskov also noted that Ukraine’s refusal to negotiate, formalised through a decree banning contact with Russian leadership, would need to change for talks to proceed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained that any peace agreement would require Ukraine to remain outside NATO and for Russia to retain full control over four Ukrainian regions currently only partially occupied by its forces.
Despite these positions, the Kremlin pointed to past preliminary agreements as potential foundations for future negotiations.