The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to get to the US President Donald Trump before his counterpart from Washington organizes a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“This is very important, otherwise it will look like a dialogue about Ukraine without Ukraine. It is still important to discuss your problems first and then talk to the enemy, “said Zalelenskyy in an interview in an interview on Friday.
Support in the USA was crucial for Ukraine because she fought to push against the invasion of Russian forces since the invasion of 2022, when the then President Joe Biden was in the White House.
The new administration has sent mixed signals about how American policy can move under the Trump clock. Some of his officials signaled their support Brugging to Russia with stronger sanctionswhile the new Secretary of State of the USA said Ukraine The entire territory cannot be recovered under Russian control.
During the campaign for President Trump, he repeatedly claimed that he could end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours. More than two weeks after his second presidency, It didn't happen.
It is still not exactly clear how the US leader would work to try to force the end of the fight – although some see the potential of change with the new president in the oval office.
John Herbst, former US ambassador in Ukraine, Times radio said It is “carefully optimistic” that the Trump administration will be able to achieve a “balanced room”-but potentially not the one in which the whole territory of Russian has returned.
“Their found is a balanced peace, not necessarily just peace,” he said.
“I'm here”
In Washington on Friday, Trump said that “probably” would meet with Zelenskyy in the coming week, although it was unclear whether it would be face to face or one.
“I am here,” said the US president, asked where this meeting could take place.
Trump, who talked to reporters in Washington along with the visit of the Japanese Prime Minister Shiger IShiba, said he would not travel to Ukraine.
The US president also expressed interest in meeting Putin, referring to a “good relationship”, which, as he believes, had long ago. Putin He offered flattering words Trump within a few days Won the election in the USA in November last year.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin emphasized the need for patience when Putin talks to Trump.
US President Donald Trump boasted that he could end the war in Ukraine, but there was little information about how it would happen.
If this happens, it is expected that two leaders will discuss Trump's desire to end the war in Ukraine sooner than later.
“Russia is open to negotiations. In any case, the settlement should occur as a result of negotiations, “said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday.
Minerals, support from Ukraine and the USA
It appeared this week Trump wants Ukraine To provide the US, rare land minerals as a form of payment for support that was provided with the struggle of Ukraine with Russia.
Idea He was raised to Trump Last year, and Zelenskyy signaled that this is a conversation to which Ukraine is open – provided that security guarantees are part of such contracts with allies.
“If we are talking about a contract, let's make a contract, we are only for this,” he told Reuters on Friday.
Zelenskyy said that less than 20 percent of Ukrainian mineral resources – including about half of its rare land deposits – is covered by Russian occupation.
Trump indicates human fees
Russia began a complete invasion of its neighbor February 24, 2022which Putin threw as a “special military operation”, not war. After almost three years of struggle, Russia occupies almost one fifth of Ukraine, but it did not overthrow the government in Kiev.
The war was expensive for both Ukrainian civilians and soldiers: Zelenskyy he recently said that over 45,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed during the defense of Ukraine, while the mission of human rights monitoring in Ukraine estimates that it estimates that it is Over 12,500 civilians They were killed from the beginning of the total invasion to the end of 2024.
The real number of fatalities may be higher than what is stated, but the human fee of the conflict is something that Trump has Previously illuminated Criticizing the war.
“I would like to see how it ended, only on people,” said Trump in Washington on Friday. “I would like to see this end. It's a funny war. “