Trump urged to support Ukraine for lasting peace, says French minister
French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, believes that Donald Trump understands that "no fair and lasting peace can be achieved behind the backs of Ukrainians and over the heads of Europeans." Therefore, he hopes the president-elect will not withdraw American support for Ukraine.
- Donald Trump is too wise to agree to the largest territorial annexation in the past 75 years. He is too wise to forget that no fair and lasting peace can be achieved behind the backs of Ukrainians and over the heads of Europeans, - said Barrot in an interview with "Le Parisien".
In his view, this would solidify the "right of might" and would have very serious consequences for Europe and the world. The minister also reiterated that it should be Ukraine that decides when to start peace talks.
Trump spoke with Ukraine's president
- Donald Trump spoke by phone with Volodymyr Zelensky immediately after his election, rather than calling Putin. Ukrainians will decide when to start peace talks themselves. Their allies must help them do so from a position of strength, - emphasized the diplomat.
"I had a great telephone conversation with President Trump and congratulated him on his historic and landslide victory, a result made possible by his impressive campaign. I commend the work of his family and team. We agreed to maintain a close dialogue and develop our cooperation. Strong and steadfast US leadership is vital to the world and to a just peace," - wrote Volodymyr Zelensky about the conversation with the president-elect on platform X.
Advice for Putin
Trump was also said to have had a conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. As "The Washington Post" reported, during the conversation, Trump advised the Russian president to "not escalate the war in Ukraine."
- [He] reminded him of Washington’s sizable military presence in Europe - said someone familiar with the conversation, who, like others speaking on the matter, requested anonymity.
However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied reports of the conversation. - This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction, it's just false information. There was no conversation - he stated during a press conference.
During the presidential campaign, Trump promised that "he would very quickly end the war in Ukraine," although he did not provide details on how he plans to do so.
