According to Reuters, on January 6, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kiev's security can only be guaranteed with US support, and expressed hope to meet Mr. Trump soon after the inauguration.
Mr. Zelensky emphasized that not only the government but also the Ukrainian people are looking forward to Mr. Trump's next presidential term in the hope of ending the conflict with Russia.
Ukraine's president stressed the US role in NATO and said Russia could escalate tensions if Washington left the leading military alliance.
“Without the United States, security guarantees are impossible,” the Ukrainian president said in a three-hour interview on January 6 about the conflict with Russia. Zelensky also asserted that the US president-elect shares his views on the need to adopt a “peace through strength” approach to ending the conflict.
Mr. Zelensky even mentioned Ukraine's desire to join NATO. This leader believes that if Kiev does not receive international security guarantees, Russia will be able to rebuild its forces for a new offensive.
However, one of the most important conditions Russia has put forward for ending the conflict with Ukraine is that Kiev must remain neutral and not align itself with any party. This means that Ukraine cannot join NATO.
Also according to Reuters, hope for a solution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine was once again raised after Donald Trump was re-elected as US President in early November 2024.
Trump has pledged to end the war in Eastern Europe within 24 hours of taking office, but a quick peace deal could come at a high price for Kiev.
On January 4, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Kiev would find it difficult to turn the tide of the war in the near future, as the Russian army gained an advantage in many areas of the Donbass region, especially Pokrovsk, which plays an important role in Ukraine's logistics system.
