Trump can push Putin to stop war: Ukraine’s Zelenskyy at Munich conference
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday exuded deep confidence in US President Donald Trump’s intentions and ability to help stop its war with Russia, saying that the American leader is a strong man, and he is the one who can push Vladimir Putin to put a stop to the conflict.
“I see, yes, that he is a strong man. And if he will choose our side, and if he will not be in the middle, I think he will pressure and he will push Putin to stop the war. He can do it,” Zelenskyy said during his address at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, as per an Associated Press report.
Zelenskyy’s statement came after Trump announced on Wednesday that he had spoken to both the Ukrainian President and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about initiating immediate negotiations to end the war between the two nations.
Trump said, during the conversation with Putin, he was invited by the Russian President to visit Moscow.
“We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now,” Trump said.
Also, during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference, Zelenskyy made his reservations about holding a face-to-face conversation with Putin known, saying that finding a “common plan” will be the prerequisite of that.
“We need to speak more, to work more and to prepare the plan (for) how to stop (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” Zelenskyy was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters after his meeting with US Vice President JD Vance on the sidelines of the Conference in the German city.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, too, said he believed President Trump could lead any negotiations when it comes to striking deals.
“President Trump will be the one at the table with Zelenskyy and Putin,” Hegseth said, to lead to a “lasting and enduring peace” that will not embolden Russia.
As the Russia-Ukraine war approaches its third year, Trump’s strategy for brokering peace remains unclear. However, he has previously indicated that both Russia and Ukraine would need to make compromises, suggesting that Ukraine may have to cede some of its territory to reach a resolution.
Notably, reaching out to the stakeholders and ending the Russia-Ukraine war was Donald Trump’s major poll promise during his Presidential campaign last year. Republican Trump returned to the White House after a historic election victory over Democratic Kamala Harris last November.
With agency inputs
