President-elect Donald Trump called on Russian President Vladimir Putin for an “immediate ceasefire” in the Ukraine war during his visit to France. The Kremlin responded with a claim that Ukraine is refusing negotiations.
In a message via Truth Social Media on Sunday morning, Trump stated, “Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer.”
“There was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place. They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where close to 600,000 Russian soldiers lay wounded or dead, in a war that should never have started, and could go on forever.”
“(Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness. They have ridiculously lost 400,000 soldiers, and many more civilians,” he added.
Trump urged Putin to take decisive action, emphasizing the need for an immediate ceasefire and the commencement of negotiations. He expressed his familiarity with Vladimir, stating that now is the time for him to act.
Since the election, the day before he posted the message, Trump had held his first meeting with Zelenskyy in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron also participated in the talks.
Zelenskyy expressed hope for U.S. influence after meeting with Trump, posting the following on X: “We all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way. We spoke about our people, the situation on the ground, and a just peace. We agreed to continue working together and keep in contact. Peace through strength is possible.”
Russia has shifted the blame to Ukraine in response. According to Sputnik News, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated, “The Ukrainian side refused and is refusing negotiation. Our position on Ukraine is well known, the conditions for an immediate end of combat actions were presented by President (Vladimir) Putin.”
Peskov noted that Ukraine has banned contact with Russian leadership through a special decree and stated that this decree must be revoked for negotiations to occur.
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