President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump did not discuss specifics of any concrete peace plan during their talks with Paris, with Trump calling for an immediate ceasefire, Reuters reported on Dec. 11, citing undisclosed sources.
Trump was "friendly, respectful" and in a "listening mode" during their 35-minute meeting on Dec. 7, the news agency wrote after talking with five people familiar with the matter.
Trump and Zelensky met in Paris as world leaders gathered to celebrate the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral. French President Emmanuel Macron hosted the two for their first in-person meeting since Trump won the reelection in November.
"Some key points were mentioned during the meeting – for example, it was said that peace needs guarantees because a ceasefire alone isn't enough, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin could break it again, as he has done before, without proper guarantees," Reuters’ source in Zelensky's office was quoted as saying.
U.S. military support for Ukraine hangs in the air as Trump prepares to take office on Jan. 20, 2025.
The Republican politician vowed to bring a quick end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Frugal with details, he hinted at reducing U.S. aid and bringing both sides to the negotiating table as quickly as possible.
Sometimes using tough rhetoric toward Zelensky during the presidential campaign, the Paris talks painted a slightly different picture of Trump. The U.S. president-elect behaved in a "friendly, respectful, and open manner and appeared to be in listening mode," Reuters’ source described.
Following his meeting with Zelensky, Trump said the Ukrainian leader is ready "to make a deal and stop the madness" and that Putin should do the same after incurring staggering losses in Ukraine.
"Too many lives are being so needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed, and if it keeps going, it can turn into something much bigger, and far worse," Trump wrote on Social Truth on Dec. 8.
Zelensky addressed Trump's post on his Telegram channel on Dec. 8, saying the war "cannot be ended simply with a piece of paper and a few signatures," warning that "a ceasefire without guarantees can be reignited at any moment, as Putin has already done in the past."
The Ukrainian president has signaled openness to a diplomatic end to the war as the Russian advance picked up pace in the east while Ukraine's resources grow thin.
Martin Fornusek
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