Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he told US President-elect Donald Trump that Kiev needs a “lasting” peace that Russia could “destroy” in the future, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday after meeting in Paris for talks over the nearly three-year war. Will not do.
Trump had previously said that Zelensky was eager for a “deal” and called for negotiations to begin.
The pair had met French leader Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee a day earlier.
Trump has claimed he could swiftly end the conflict without warning and Moscow and Kiev are both bracing for his arrival at the White House, having seen a surge in deadly attacks in recent weeks.
“I said we need a just and lasting peace – which the Russians will not be able to destroy in a few years, as they have repeatedly done in the past,” Zelensky said on social media.
Nearly three years of war have ravaged Ukraine, leaving thousands dead and millions fleeing the country.
He said, “Ukrainians want peace more than anyone else. Russia brought war to our land and it is Russia that tries most to disrupt the possibility of peace.”
He called on Western allies not to “turn a blind eye to the occupation” and said Kiev would only agree to a deal that would bring long-term peace.
He said, “War cannot be endless – only peace must be lasting and reliable.”
In a rare acknowledgment of numbers, Zelensky said 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the war, while about 370,000 were wounded.
Both sides are believed to have suffered massive losses and the figure is believed to be much higher.
‘Key terms’ discussed
Zelensky gave no concrete details on key aspects of the nature of the talks, but a senior Ukrainian official said they had discussed “some key conditions” for ending the war.
“We are not disclosing details, but the presidents discussed at the meeting that there should be something that guarantees the credibility of the peace,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin accused Ukraine of “refusing” to negotiate an end to the war and said its conditions for joining peace talks – which include Kiev giving up four regions – would remain unchanged.
“The Ukrainian side refused and is refusing to negotiate,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
He cited a 2022 Ukrainian order that rejected negotiations with Putin, but not with other Russian officials.
Trump had previously called for an “immediate ceasefire” and the start of negotiations.
“Too many lives are being wasted unnecessarily, too many families have been destroyed, and if this continues, it could get much bigger and much worse,” he wrote on his Truth social platform.
Trump has described himself as having good relations with Putin.
‘How long can we remain at war?
But as leaders delivered statements in Kiev, Moscow and Paris, the situation on the ground in eastern Ukraine remained critical.
Moscow on Sunday claimed another village in the east – Blagodatne in the Donetsk region – continuing its advance.
Many in Ukraine fear that as Trump takes power he will be forced to make heartbreaking concessions to Russia, while the country also faces exhaustion.
In the village of Osinovo in the eastern Kharkiv region, news of the meeting between Trump and Zelensky provided some hope to Mykola Litvinov, one of the last remaining residents of the border village.
Clearing soil from vegetables in his backyard, the 80-year-old man said he hoped the meeting could help end the conflict through dialogue.
“How long can we stay in war? A lot of people have died, a lot of young people have died. And you are seeing massive destruction,” he told AFP.
He suggested that Ukraine could have retained more of its territory by negotiating with Russia in advance, but said he hoped for an end to the fighting for a more personal reason.
“Both of my sons are fighting. I just want them to live.”
Ukraine also said two civilians were killed in the Donetsk region and seven were wounded in attacks in the southern Kherson region.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
