The leaders of Ukraine and Russia began efforts to exert influence over President-elect Donald Trump immediately after the US election, delivering on his promises to resolve their years-long conflict through public statements on Thursday. Tried to achieve.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday called for a “fair end to the war” and warned that a quick end to hostilities could force his country into defeat.
“Ending it early will cause harm,” Zelensky told reporters at a summit in Budapest hosted by Viktor Orban, the EU’s biggest critic of aid to Kiev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Trump on his victory and said that the Republican, who during the campaign had promised to broker a peace deal between the two countries and suggested he might want to reduce or end US aid to Kiev, They have ideas worth exploring.
“It seems to me that what was said about the desire to restore relations with Russia to help end the Ukrainian crisis,” Putin said late Thursday at the annual meeting of the Valdai Club in the Black Sea city of Sochi. Was, that deserves attention.” His first comments on Trump’s re-election. “I have always said that we will work with any head of state who has the confidence of the American people.”
The dueling comments underlined the extent to which Trump’s election has disrupted international politics around the war, in which U.S. and European leaders have so far provided billions of dollars of arms and aid to Ukraine. Has been seen because he wanted to repel the Russian attack.
Trump, who had predicted he could end the conflict the day after his election, gave little indication of how he planned to handle that challenge in an interview with NBC News on Thursday.
Trump said he had already spoken to Zelensky but that since winning the election he has had “probably” 70 phone conversations with world leaders, not including Putin. But, Trump said, he still planned to talk with the Russian leader.
“I think we will speak,” Trump said.
‘open question’
But Orban, one of Trump’s closest allies on the world stage, said the €50 billion ($54 billion) of US and European aid to Ukraine that has already been agreed upon is now an “open question”.
Orbán said after the summit that the US and European countries were tired of investing money and that the package was insufficient to continue financing Ukraine.
Zelensky hoped to receive support from his European allies following Trump’s election victory. But German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was late to the meeting after his coalition government collapsed overnight over a dispute over aid to Ukraine.
Western officials have been saying privately for months that Zelensky’s goal of pushing Russia out of Ukrainian territory seems beyond reach in the near future and signaling their hopes for an end to the fighting.
“Some of you here were advocating strongly for concessions to Ukraine,” Zelensky told leaders earlier in the summit. “This is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all of Europe.”
While Zelensky was speaking with European leaders, Russian forces on Thursday attacked the city of Zaporizhia in southern Ukraine with five glide bombs, killing four and wounding at least 18 civilians, the regional government said on Telegram. Said. The country was also targeted by more than 100 explosive laden drones overnight.
Putin gave no indication that Russia is willing to make concessions to end the war he started in February 2022. He has repeatedly said he is willing to hold talks, while insisting that any talks be conducted keeping in mind the ground realities since the offensive by his forces. Captured Ukraine and parts of the south and east of the country.
Russian officials are torn between secret joy and apprehension at the prospect of a new four-year term for Trump. Despite his comments on the Ukraine conflict and efforts to curry favor with Putin during his first administration, Trump also imposed new punitive sanctions, including on aluminum producer Rusal and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, and expelled several Russian diplomats.
“Many people close to power in Moscow who understand US policy are afraid of a Trump victory,” said Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of the consultancy R.Politik and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center. “You can drink a bottle of wine, dance happily and then get a terrible hangover.”
Ukraine’s staunchest supporters in Eastern Europe are arguing that giving Zelensky arms and money to defeat Putin is not only the right thing to do, but the most effective solution. If Putin is successful in Ukraine, he will pose a major threat to Europe and will require much greater investment in defense.
“The European values-based and rules-based system will also be decided to some extent in the conflict,” Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michael said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on the eve of the talks. “Maybe that will also be a mark that will be left on Europe.”
Yet on the sidelines of the summit, some European leaders were speaking by phone with Trump for the first time since the election.
Zelensky said he did not discuss the possibility of ending the fighting early when he spoke to Trump on Wednesday after the election results. “It’s further,” he told reporters. “It’s clear to me he wants this to end.”
Zelensky has previously said he wants U.S. help to force Russia to negotiate on Ukrainian terms and avoid a frozen conflict that would give Moscow time to rearm and attack.
european allies
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was involved in a series of bilateral meetings with other leaders, according to another senior official. Starmer is discussing with his European allies how to deepen defense coordination and increase help for Ukraine, the official said, especially if Trump withdraws support after taking office in January.
Britain is considering joint procurement and participating in military exercises with European countries, the official said.
US President Joe Biden has so far refused to spell out what Kiev says it needs to achieve a just peace. That plan includes an invitation to join NATO and permission to use Western-made weapons to attack military targets inside Russia.
According to Western diplomats, American thinking is unlikely to change in the months after Biden leaves office. Most allies do not want to risk being dragged into a war with Russia, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because a symbolic invitation would limit bargaining power.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that Biden was focused on advancing the foreign policy he has created and making sure Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself.
Diplomats also said that even if Kiev were allowed to launch long-range strikes inside Russia, it does not have many missiles and does not have enough targets within its reach to significantly change the balance on the ground.
Kiev, on the other hand, believes the move will curb Russia’s ability to continue attacking Ukraine’s infrastructure and cities.
Critics have argued that Biden’s Ukraine strategy points toward continued stalemate because it is based on cautious incrementalism and fear of escalating tensions. Any peace talks in the near future will take place while Russia is occupying parts of its neighbor and Putin is unwilling to let that land go.
Some diplomats said that in the long term, Ukraine’s best bet to guarantee its security is to develop its own defense industry and capabilities with the help of friendly countries and to raise a strong and young military.
Speaking in Budapest, Zelensky also took an indirect dig at the meeting host Orban, who has forged ties with Putin and met him in Moscow in July.
“Hugging with Putin won’t help,” Zelensky said. “Some of you have been embracing them for 20 years, and things are getting worse.”
