Zelenskyy: Trump speaks to Putin as an equal and can stop war
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Getty Images)
US leader Donald Trump could end the war in Ukraine because he speaks to Russian leader Vladimir Putin as an equal, and the United States is far stronger than Russia, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while speaking to journalists in Davos.
"It is their decision whether to continue the war or not. But we want to stop this war. And that’s why I think President Trump can do it — he really can — because he is in dialogue with Putin. Not everyone conducts a dialogue. He speaks to Putin as an equal," the President said.
Zelenskyy noted that the United States is much stronger than Russia. He emphasized that the US army is far more powerful than the Russian one, partly thanks to the experience gained from Ukraine’s war.
"They want to find compromises. You know that we are open to different steps, and I said these are compromises from both sides. So Russia will not win this war. They have not won it, and they will not win it," he said.
The Ukrainian President stressed that he is not sure the Russian leader wants to end the war in his current situation — with heavy losses and without achieving the goals he sought at the very beginning of the invasion.
Zelenskyy added that Russia’s economy is indeed exhausted and its army is tired. He also noted that Ukraine’s army is tired as well, but emphasized that "we are honest and say this openly."
"We are doing everything we can together with our soldiers, and they are doing everything they can. But 35,000, as I said today, 35,000 Russian soldiers killed per month. And this number will continue to grow," he said.
Zelenskyy recalled that 35,000 Russians were killed in December alone. He added that in December 2024, Russia lost 14,000 soldiers killed.
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has lost approximately 1,230,810 soldiers. In the past day alone, Russian losses amounted to 1,070 troops.
