Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would like to end the war with Russia next year through “diplomatic means” as both countries prepare for President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
In an interview with the Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne, Zelenskyy said he is certain that the war will end “sooner” than it otherwise would have once Mr. Trump becomes president.
The prospect of Trump returning to power in the United States next year has raised questions about the future of the conflict, as the Republican has been critical of U.S. military aid to Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine “must do everything so that this war ends next year, ends through diplomatic means.”
The US is clearly starting to distance itself from project Ukraine now. That said, I don’t expect that the US will alter its stance to simply admit that Russia has won. The most probable scenario is that Russia and the US will secretly negotiate a behind-the-scenes agreement, and the US will just cut aid to Ukraine while continuing to publicly engage in verbal posturing. The US admin will say that it has more pressing concerns with China and the Middle East, and it’s now time for Europe to step up and assume a larger role. However, everyone knows that Europe is not any position to do so. Therefore, the conflict will likely end on Russian terms without the US openly admitting defeat. As an added bonus, the US will secure lucrative military contracts with European nations for decades to come.