 "After meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump calls for immediate ceasefire: Here's how Moscow, Kyiv reacted")
US President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday (December 8) called for an immediate ceasefire and negotiations to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, describing the conflict as “madness.”
Trump’s appeal came hours after he held his first face-to-face talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris since his election victory last month.
“Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. He claimed Kyiv had lost around 400,000 soldiers, a figure that appeared to include both killed and wounded.
Zelenskyy previously said Ukraine had suffered 43,000 soldiers killed and 370,000 wounded during the conflict.
“I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. China can help. The World is waiting!” Trump added, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump and Zelenskyy met Saturday during Trump’s visit to Paris for the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral. The hour-long discussion was described as “good and productive” by officials from both the French and Ukrainian sides.
Zelenskyy calls for guarantees
Responding to Trump’s comments, Zelenskyy spoke of the need for “effective guarantees” for any peace agreement with Russia.
“When we talk about effective peace with Russia, we must first and foremost talk about effective guarantees for peace. Ukrainians want peace more than anyone else,” Zelenskyy posted on X, formerly Twitter.
He cautioned against a hasty ceasefire, stating, “A ceasefire without guarantees can be reignited at any moment, as Putin has already done before. To ensure that Ukrainians no longer suffer losses, we must guarantee the reliability of peace and not turn a blind eye to occupation.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsKremlin open to talks
The Kremlin responded Sunday to Trump’s call, saying Russia remains open to negotiations based on previous agreements and the current battlefield realities.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Moscow’s terms for ending hostilities were outlined by Putin earlier this year.
“Our position on Ukraine is well known; the conditions for an immediate stop of hostilities were set out by President Putin in his speech to the Russian Foreign Ministry in June of this year,” Peskov said.
Putin’s conditions for a ceasefire in Ukraine include the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, recognising them as part of Russia.
He also demanded that Ukraine officially renounce its Nato membership ambitions and guarantees for the rights of Russian-speaking citizens in Ukraine.
These demands have been widely criticised as excessive and rejected by Ukraine and much of the international community.
With inputs from agencies
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