Zelenskyy to Trump and Macron: Putin doesn’t want to end war

Only a strong Ukraine can facilitate a ceasefire

Dec 9, 2024 - 18:00

Zelenskyy to Trump and Macron: Putin doesn’t want to end war

Trump, Macron, and Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on his recent meeting in Paris with President-elect Donald Trump and France’s President Emmanuel Macron.

Speaking with journalists Monday, he admitted that they discussed a ceasefire, adding that “we [Ukraine] more than anyone in the world want to end the war.”

“Between us, we’ve discussed the frozen conflict. I said that we, more than anyone in the world, want to end the war. Certainly, a diplomatic resolution to the war would save more lives. We want that. But I emphasized to both President Macron and President Trump: you will see that Putin does not want to end this war, so he needs to be forced,” Zelenskyy said.

He further underscored that the ceasefire can happen only if Ukraine has the tools to counter Russia’s strength.

“A strong Ukraine is strong on the battlefield foremost. This means a strong army, weapons packages, and so on. This includes long-range systems, certainly ATACMS, TAURUS, Storm Shadow, and SCALP. All of this is critically important to us,” Zelenskyy stated, stressing that they’d be used to strike military targets exclusively.

Zelenskyy, Trump, and Macron met in Paris on 7 December as part of the trilateral talks before Trump took office on 20 January 2025.

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!