US President-elect Donald Trump called for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations between Ukraine and Russia to end “the madness” of the ongoing war, following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on Saturday. Trump, who has pledged to negotiate an end to the conflict, did not provide specific details about how he intends to achieve peace.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump stated, “Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness,” referring to the significant toll the war has taken on Ukraine, with Trump claiming Kyiv had lost 400,000 soldiers. He emphasized that the time for action had come, urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to act and suggested China could play a role in the peace process.
However, Zelenskyy responded to Trump’s call for a ceasefire by stating that peace must be secured with reliable guarantees. Speaking on social media, he stressed, “When we talk about effective peace with Russia, we must first and foremost talk about effective guarantees for peace.” He explained that a ceasefire without such guarantees could be easily broken, as Putin had done before, leading to further suffering for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy acknowledged the heavy toll the war has taken on Ukraine, with 43,000 soldiers killed and 370,000 wounded, a figure that differs from Trump’s estimate, which included both deaths and injuries.
