Trump claims Ukraine would like to make a peace agreement with Russia

Trump’s remarks came after reports emerged of a regime change in Syria, Russia’s ally in the Middle East, where rebels claimed to have taken over the Syrian capital Damascus and toppled President Bashar Assad’s 24-year rule. Trump speculated that this happened because Assad’s “protector”, Russia, “was not interested in protecting him any longer”.

“[Russia] lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where close to 600,000 Russian soldiers lay wounded or dead, in a war that should never have started, and could go on forever, Trump stated, claiming that Russia is currently “in a weakened state… because of Ukraine and a bad economy”.

“Likewise, Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness. They have ridiculously lost 400,000 soldiers, and many more civilians. There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin,” the President-elect said, adding that if the conflict is not resolved, “it can turn into something much bigger, and far worse”.

Trump made the statements after three-way talks with Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Saturday. In a post on X, Zelensky described the talks as “good and productive” and focused on the fact that “we all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way”.

Zelensky previously insisted that the only viable path to what he calls a “just peace” with Russia is his ten-point ‘peace formula’, which includes the “complete withdrawal” of Russian forces from former Ukrainian territories and the restoration of the country’s 1991 borders. However, he has changed tack over the past few weeks, signaling he could agree to a ceasefire without the territories if Kiev became a NATO member.

Moscow has maintained that any settlement must begin with Ukraine withdrawing its forces from Russian territory, including the former Ukrainian regions, ensuring the rights of Russian-speakers and becoming a neutral state.

Trump has repeatedly promised that he would end the Ukraine conflict within “24 hours” of taking office, but has never explained how. Recent media reports claimed that he could push for a freeze in fighting along the current line of contact and force both sides to sit down for talks using US aid to Kiev as leverage.