President Volodymyr Zelensky, joined alongside his wife First Lady Olena Zelenska, delivered a candid, wide-ranging interview on Ukrainian television released on Jan. 2, laying out his vision for Ukraine's prospects of a potential peace in 2025.
"How many days did 2024 have? 1,000?" Zelensky joked before addressing questions about the potential end of the war in 2025.
The interview comes just weeks ahead of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Jan. 20, who has vowed to shift Ukraine's prospects after assuming office and negotiate a way out of the war.
Over the course of the hour-long interview, Zelensky delved into a wide-range of topics — both of domestic and international significance — as Ukraine faces the daunting task of securing a lasting peace at the start of the fourth year of full-scale war.
Trump's role in ending the war
When asked about U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Zelensky was clear about the impact he can make on the prospects of ending the war in 2025.
"He can be decisive in ending war... or, more realistically, he can help us stop (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. He can do this," Zelensky said, adding, "I believe he truly wants to end this war."
Trump's pledge to get the U.S. "out" of Russia's war and negotiate a quick peace deal has received mixed reaction in Kyiv.
Ukrainian officials have urged the president-elect to maintain support and adopt a "peace through strength" approach in dealings with Russia as Trump has nominated some officials seen as more conservative and skeptical about providing military aid to Ukraine.
"I believe Putin is scared of Trump. That's why he's taking steps to get some of the Kremlin's voice somehow into the Trump administration," Zelensky said.
Despite some more controversial appointments, Trump has also selected key figures seen in a positive light in Kyiv, including U.S. General Keith Kellogg as Ukraine peace envoy.
"Thus far, I have not had any negative interactions in our relations (with the Trump administration)," Zelensky said in the interview. "The most important aspect is that we build these relationships."
Following the appointment of Kellogg, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said that Kellogg was "not a new person for Ukraine."
"The Embassy of Ukraine in the U.S. has maintained close ties with him, in particular within the framework of expert diplomacy in recent years, and has developed and maintained a good dialogue with him during this time," Tykhyi added.
Kellogg has echoed Trump's commitment to ending the war, saying in a December interview that he believes the war will be "resolved in the next few months." Kellogg has agreed to visit Kyiv following Trump's inauguration.
Since Trump's election victory in November, Kyiv has made concerted efforts to strengthen ties with the incoming administration, even meeting Trump amid the 2024 presidential election campaign.
The history between the two leaders is fraught, stemming from Trump’s 2019 impeachment trial, which revolved around allegations that Trump withheld military aid to pressure Zelensky into investigating Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden. Despite this, Trump recently remarked that he "likes" Zelensky and had a "good relationship" with him during his previous term.
Zelensky previously said that the country must do everything possible to end the war through diplomatic means in 2025, adding that a war would "end faster" under a Trump administration.
Security Guarantees
During the interview, Zelensky also touched on Ukraine's pressing need for robust security guarantees.
"Any security guarantees without the United States are weak security guarantees for Ukraine," Zelensky said. "To be honest, Europeans are keeping their eyes out on the opinion of the president of the United States."
The Ukrainian president weighed in on French President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to advocate for European soldiers as potential peacekeepers in Ukraine. While he welcomed ideas surrounding the initiative, Zelensky underscored the necessity of broader European participation.
"We wouldn't want (the peacekeeping initiative) to be just one, two countries, if it gets to this initiative," Zelensky said, adding that any potential path forward to a permanent security guarantee must be through the country's NATO membership.
"I see that Trump has a positive impression of the idea," Zelensky said regarding potential European peacekeepers in Ukraine.
Following a meeting with Zelensky and Macron in Paris in early December, Trump reportedly made clear he wants to see Europe take up leadership of monitoring a potential ceasefire in Ukraine.
"The hot phase of the war may end rather quickly if Trump is strong in his position, and I believe that his position should fall in line with those of European allies," Zelensky said when asked the possibility of the war ending following Trump's inauguration.
Despite the possibility of upcoming peace negotiations, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine's priority remains accession into the NATO military alliance.
Zelensky added that the presence of European troops along Ukraine's front line would not negate the country's NATO ambitions.
Kyiv submitted its application to join NATO in September 2022, and in July 2024, the alliance affirmed Ukraine's "irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership" — although Ukraine has not received any definitive news about its future accession.
Despite Ukraine's commitment to joining the alliance, in recent months, Ukraine has shifted its rhetoric suggesting that Ukraine’s accession to NATO remains on the agenda but diplomatic efforts currently focus on obtaining strong security guarantees.
"In short, a just peace for us is the understanding that we are in the EU and when. The understanding that we have strong security guarantees, with NATO as the best option," Zelensky concluded.
Natalia Yermak
(Updated: )
