Trump Promises Dialogue with Zelensky and Putin to Halt War's 'Carnage'
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Washington, Dec 17 (NationPress) On Monday, Donald Trump stated that he plans to engage in discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to put an end to the 'carnage' resulting from nearly three years of warfare, as the Kremlin leader praised the achievements of the Russian military on the battlefield.
Both factions are racing to secure a strategic advantage prior to Trump's anticipated inauguration in January, raising concerns in Ukraine about potential territorial compromises in pursuit of peace.
Trump has expressed strong disapproval of the billions in aid that Joe Biden's administration has sent to Kyiv to combat Moscow's invasion.
During his remarks at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump noted that Putin had celebrated significant military progress in Ukraine, labeling the past year as 'landmark'.
Trump asserted, 'We'll be talking to President Putin, and we'll be talking to the representatives, Zelensky and representatives from Ukraine.'
'We need to stop it; it’s carnage,' he emphasized, referring to the ongoing conflict.
He has consistently claimed that he could rapidly resolve the situation, although he has yet to specify his proposed methods.
Trump's statements on Monday followed his earlier call for an 'immediate ceasefire' and the initiation of 'negotiations.'
Earlier this month, Trump met with Zelensky during a meeting organized by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, where Zelensky expressed his desire for 'enduring' peace and 'security guarantees.'
Poland, a neighboring ally of Ukraine, emphasized on Monday that Kyiv should not be 'forced' into peace discussions. Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski remarked that it is 'the aggressor and not the victim that should be encouraged and compelled' to engage in negotiations.
As Ukraine braces for another winter of conflict, its energy infrastructure remains severely compromised due to Russian strikes, while Trump spoke amidst reports of Russian forces nearing the key eastern city of Pokrovsk.
In an end-of-year address to senior military leaders, Putin conveyed a defiant and hopeful message, asserting that his troops maintain dominance along the entire front.
These comments coincide with Russia's military making rapid advances in eastern Ukraine, achieving their fastest progress since the initial weeks of the offensive.
'Russian troops are firmly holding the strategic initiative along the entire line of contact,' Putin declared.
He also stated that Russia's forces have captured 189 Ukrainian settlements this year, proclaiming 2024 as a 'landmark year in the achievement of the goals of the special military operation', using the Kremlin's official terminology for the campaign.
Following Putin's remarks, Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov reported that Russian troops have taken control of nearly 4,500 square kilometers (1,737 square miles) of Ukrainian territory this year, gaining approximately 30 square kilometers daily.
On Monday, Russia's military announced the capture of yet another small village in the Donetsk region as part of their ongoing advances.
Putin has faced accusations from Kyiv and Western nations of escalating the nearly three-year-long conflict in recent weeks.
On the same day, ten nations and the EU described North Korea's increasing involvement in the conflict as a 'dangerous expansion' of hostilities, which could have 'serious consequences for European and Indo-Pacific security.'
Foreign Ministers from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Britain, and the United States, along with the high representative of the European Union, endorsed this statement.
This development followed Ukraine's claims of having killed or wounded at least 30 North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in the Kursk border area, where Ukraine is executing an offensive.
The US, South Korea, and Ukraine have accused North Korea of dispatching over 10,000 troops to assist Russia.
In his address, Putin also justified Russia's substantial defense and security expenditure for the conflict amid rising economic uncertainty domestically.
Military expenditures have exceeded six percent of GDP, while overall defense and security spending approaches nine percent.
'Strangely enough, it is not the largest expenditure in the world, even among nations not engaged in armed conflict,' Putin, a former KGB operative in power for the last 25 years, stated. 'However, it is a significant amount of money, and it must be utilized very judiciously.'
