Trump Urges Immediate Ceasefire in Ukraine After Meeting with Zelensky

President Donald Trump has called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The meeting, held in Paris during the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, marked the first in-person conversation between the two leaders since Trump's election in November.

In a social media post, Trump stated, "There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin." He emphasized that the war "should never have started, and could go on forever."

Zelensky described the meeting as "constructive" and reiterated Ukraine's desire for a "just and robust peace, that Russians will not destroy within a few years." He stressed the need for effective peace guarantees, noting that "Ukrainians want peace more than anyone else. Russia brought war to our land."

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov responded by stating that Moscow remains open to talks with Ukraine. He referenced a decree by Zelensky from October 2022 that declared the prospect of any talks "impossible" as long as Putin was Russia's leader.

Trump's call for a ceasefire comes amid ongoing efforts to resolve the nearly three-year-old conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The U.S. president-elect has pledged to end the war upon taking office, expressing confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he were president.