Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky warned of the risk of a protracted frozen conflict with Russia during talks with US President-elect Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris over the weekend, Bloomberg reports.
Zelensky said that Ukraine can only negotiate a ceasefire from a position of strength, alleging that Russian President Vladimir Putin has no intention of ending the war.
“Nobody wants to end the war more than us,” Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv on Monday.
The meeting in Paris, arranged by President Macron amidst the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral, comes as Zelensky has actively sought assurances from Trump, who has previously expressed skepticism about continued funding Ukraine and called for a swift resolution to the conflict.
Zelensky reiterated his call for concrete security guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression and emphasized his aim to secure an official invitation to join NATO. While acknowledging immediate NATO membership is unlikely, he said that the possibility of a future invitation was discussed and that he intends to press the issue directly with US President Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, Zelensky held talks with German conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz, who is vying for the chancellorship in February’s snap election.
