"War Can't Be Finished...": Zelensky On Trump's Call For Immediate Ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly rejected his incoming US counterpart Donald Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire, saying Kyiv would not accept any peace agreement without security guarantees. The US President-elect had earlier called for an "immediate ceasefire" between Russian and Ukrainian forces and called for talks to begin.

However, In a post on Telegram, Mr Zelensky said the conflict with Moscow cannot be ended with "just a piece of paper and a few signatures".  "War should not be endless," he wrote, adding "peace should be permanent and reliable." 

Mr Zelensky met the incoming US President in Paris on Saturday with French leader Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee. The meeting came amid concerns that Mr Trump could "probably" reduce aid to Ukraine.

What Trump Said? 

In an interview aired Sunday but recorded before the Saturday meeting, Mr Trump, said his incoming administration would reduce aid to Ukraine, which Washington has been steadfastly backing since its invasion by Russia nearly three years ago.

Mr Trump, in an interview aired Sunday but recorded before the Saturday meeting, said his incoming administration would reduce aid to Ukraine, which Washington has been steadfastly backing since its invasion by Russia nearly three years ago.

"Possibly. Yeah, probably, sure," Mr Trump told NBC's "Meet the Press". He also boasted that he could end the conflict swiftly without saying how. 

Mr Trump, earlier, called for an "immediate ceasefire" and called for talks to begin. "Too many lives are being so needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed, and if it keeps going, it can turn into something much bigger, and far worse," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

He also said he has good relations with Putin. Meanwhile, Moscow and Kyiv are readying for his arrival in the White House, with an escalation in deadly attacks in recent weeks in the drawn-out conflict.

What Zelensky Said?

After the meeting, the Ukrainian leader on Sunday said Kyiv needed an "enduring" peace to protect it from Russia. Mr Zelensky, who had previously opposed any territorial concessions, has eased his position in recent months. His army is struggling on the front line and fears are mounting of dwindling Western aid. He has even floated the idea of temporarily forgoing Russian-controlled areas -- about one-fifth of Ukraine -- in exchange for NATO security guarantees and weapons deliveries from the West.

"I stated that we need a just and enduring peace -- one that the Russians will not be able to destroy in a few years, as they have done repeatedly in the past," Mr Zelensky said in a social media post. 

Almost three years of war have ravaged Ukraine, killing thousands and leading millions to flee the country.  "Ukrainians want peace more than anyone else," said Mr Zelensky. "Russia brought war to our land, and it is Russia that most seeks to disrupt the possibility of peace".

He called on Western allies not to "turn a blind eye to occupation" and said Kyiv would only agree to a deal that would bring long-term peace.

"War cannot be endless -- only peace must be permanent and reliable," he said.

In a rare admission of numbers, Mr Zelensky said 43,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed in combat, while some 370,000 were wounded.

"This is what this war is all about," Mr Zelensky wrote. "It cannot be finished with just a piece of paper and a few signatures...War should not be endless," he wrote, adding  "peace should be permanent and reliable."

Russia's Stand

The Kremlin, meanwhile, accused Ukraine of "refusing" to negotiate an end to the war. It said its conditions to enter peace talks -- which include Kyiv giving up four regions -- remain unchanged.

"The Ukrainian side refused and is refusing negotiation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He referred to a 2022 Ukrainian decree that ruled out talks with Putin, but not other Russian officials.