President Zelensky Calls Trump Able To Stop Putin And Become A Decisive In War

Donald Trump met President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Twitter/@ZelenskyyUa)

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky said United States President-elect Donald Trump could help stop Vladimir Putin and become a determinant in the Russian-Ukraine war.

In an interview with Ukrainian television, President Zelensky said Trump had told him he would be one of the first to visit Washington after the presidential inauguration this month.

"Trump can be decisive. For us, this is the most important thing," President Zelensky said.

"The quality does exist," he continued.

"He can be the determinant in this war. He was able to stop Putin or, more precisely, help us stop Putin. He was able to do this," he said.

Kyiv's leader said achieving a just peace for Ukraine meant receiving strong security guarantees from its allies, joining the European Union and accepting an invitation to join the NATO alliance (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), an idea Moscow rejected.

"Of course, any security guarantee without the United States is a weak security guarantee for Ukraine," he said.

President Zelensky said he wanted to ensure every plan of Uncle Sam's country on conflict resolution takes Ukraine's view into account.

"It can't be the other way around. We are Ukraine and this is our independence, land and future," he explained.

He also hopes that in the future the Trump Administration can immediately establish contact with Russia.

On the other hand, President Putin said Moscow was open to negotiations but they had to take into account Russia's advantages in the war and its annexation of the four Ukrainian territories.

President Zelensky further said his priority was to stabilize the front line at the start of the new year.

President Putin, he said, was worried about negotiations because it was tantamount to defeat for Russia. On the other hand, Russian forces are progressing in eastern Ukraine.

With Russian troops seizing village after village on the eastern front lines in their fastest progress since the February 2022 invasion, President Zelensky said stabilizing the front line was essential.

"They put pressure on our troops, who are exhausted and that is a fact. We will do everything to at least stabilize the front line in January," he said.