Volodymyr Zelenskyy Rejects Trump’s Plan For Speedy End To Ukraine War

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected US president-elect Donald Trump’s plan for a speedy end to the war in Ukraine.

Trump has repeatedly claimed he will be able to agree a peace deal with Russia within 24 hours of re-entering the White House.

That has led to fears that he will demand Ukraine give up territory already seized by Russia in exchange for an end to the bombing.

Speaking at a meeting of the European Political Community in Hungary, Ukrainian president Zelenskyy poured cold water on that suggestion.

“I believe that President Trump really wants a quick decision” Zelenskyy said. “He wants that. It doesn’t mean that it will happen this way.”

He added: “We all want to end this war, but a fair ending. If it is very fast, it’s going to be a loss for Ukraine.”

After Hungarian president Viktor Orban – a keen ally of Donald Trump – called for a rapid ceasefire in the war, Zelenskyy said: “I heard that it’s better to implement a ceasefire and then, ‘we’ll see’.

“[A] ceasefire was tried back in 2014. We tried to reach this ceasefire and we lost Crimea and then we had the full-scale invasion.”

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy also called for “a more decisive response from western countries” to North Korea’s decision to send troops to fight alongside the Russian army in Ukraine.

And he once again repeated his appeal for Ukraine to be able to use UK-made long-range missiles to attack military targets in Russia.

Keir Starmer, who held talks at the summit with Zelenskyy, also said it was time for Ukraine’s allies to “step up”.

The prime minister told the Ukrainian president: “As you know, our support for Ukraine is unwavering.

“It’s very important that we see this through. It’s very important that we stand with you.”