Following a Paris meeting with French and Ukrainian leaders, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine on Sunday. He asserted that Kyiv was open to a peace agreement to conclude the protracted conflict, which has lasted over 1,000 days.
Trump stated that the war, which he characterized as avoidable, has resulted in massive casualties for both Moscow and Kyiv, amounting to hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
He advocated for an immediate ceasefire and the commencement of negotiations, emphasizing the unacceptable loss of life and devastation to families.
Trump’s statement followed a Saturday meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron, which Zelenskyy described as productive.
Zelenskyy later addressed reporters, insisting that any peace agreement must be equitable for Ukrainians, preventing future Russian aggression.
In a separate social media post on Sunday, Zelenskyy reported Ukrainian losses of 43,000 soldiers killed and 370,000 wounded since the full-scale Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022.
While both Russia and Ukraine have been hesitant to release official casualty figures, Western sources indicate that recent intense fighting in eastern Ukraine has led to record losses for both sides, with tens of thousands of casualties each month.