Trump calls for Ukraine ceasefire, slams Russia for abandoning Assad
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Donald Trump poses with Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Elysee Palace on December 7, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Washington: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, highlighting the extensive human toll of the conflict and urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the violence. Trump’s remarks followed a recent meeting in Paris with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron. Zelenskyy later described the discussions as “constructive” and stressed that any peace agreement must be just to prevent future aggression from Russia.
Trump emphasized that both Russia and Ukraine have suffered significant losses, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers killed or wounded. He called the war “a conflict that should never have started” and said negotiations should begin as soon as possible, stating, “There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. Too many lives are being needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed.”
Trump also commented on the situation in Syria, stating that President Bashar al-Assad had fled his country and that Russia, led by President Vladimir Putin, had lost interest in protecting him. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump argued that Russia never should have intervened in Syria and shifted its focus to Ukraine, which he said has left Russia and its ally Iran weakened. He noted that Russia has suffered heavy troop losses and a struggling economy, while Iran is dealing with the repercussions of Israel’s military success.
The President-elect, who is set to take office on January 20, expressed his support for a quick resolution to the Ukraine conflict. He highlighted that nearly 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in Ukraine. He reiterated that both Russia and Iran are in a weakened state as a result of these factors.
Additionally, Zelenskyy shared that Kyiv has lost 43,000 soldiers and 370,000 more have been wounded since Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Although official casualty numbers remain unconfirmed by either side, Western officials have reported record losses over recent months, particularly in eastern Ukraine, where intense fighting has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties each month.
With PTI inputs
