Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is taking a two-pronged approach to negotiations with the White House, asking the outgoing and incoming administrations for assistance on different fronts.
The Ukrainian leader is currently pressing President Joe Biden to back his country’s demands for full NATO membership before leaving office in January.
He said in a Monday statement that it’s still “premature to speak about [a possible NATO invitation] with President Trump because he is not yet in the White House.”
“I do intend to speak with President Biden soon and raise this issue. Because he is the current President and a lot depends on his position,” Zelensky said.
Concerning NATO, the Ukrainian government has dug in its heels, refusing to entertain suggested paths to peace that withhold the perpetual security that membership in the Western alliance would guarantee.
At the same time Zelensky is talking to Biden about NATO, he’s talking to Trump about how to quiet the front lines.
Zelensky is enthusiastic about a plan presented by French President Emmanuel Macron, which would place European troops inside Ukraine to maintain peace between the end of hostilities and an entrance into the European Union and NATO.
“A troop contingent from one country or another could be present in Ukraine for as long as it isn’t part of NATO. But for that, we need to have a clear understanding of when Ukraine becomes an EU member and when a NATO member,” Zelensky said after a meeting with German opposition leader Friedrich Merz on Monday.
Zelensky sees Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position as becoming increasingly desperate.
The Russian military has suffered approximately 700,000 casualties in its invasion of Ukraine, exhausting manpower and crushing national morale. The Kremlin was unable to spare meaningful military support to ally President Bashar Assad’s deposed regime despite promises of protection.
Zelensky reportedly conveyed this assessment to Trump, and the president-elect has spoken positively of his Ukrainian counterpart.
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Trump met with Zelensky and Macron in Paris this past weekend following a ceremony marking the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral.
“He wants to have a ceasefire,” Trump told the New York Post following the meeting. “He wants to make peace. We didn’t talk about the details. He thinks it’s time, and Putin should think it’s time because he’s lost — when you lose 700,000 people, it’s time. It’s not going to end until there’s a peace.”
When it comes to Trump, Zelensky at least recognizes that flattery will get you everywhere.
On Monday evening, he posted on X, “I told President Trump that Putin fears only him and, perhaps, China. And that’s the truth — only decisiveness can bring this war to a just end and ensure lasting peace.”
There’s a lot of discussion in the media about lowering the draft age for Ukrainians to go to the frontlines. We must focus on equipping existing brigades and training personnel to use this equipment. We must not compensate the lack of equipment and training with the youth of…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 9, 2024
