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Volodymyr Zelensky wants to reach an agreement on a peace plan with US President Donald Trump before any negotiations with Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia.
15 days before the official inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the United States on January 20, Volodymyr Zelensky is multiplying his laudatory statements towards the new American president. This is what he did once again in a 3-hour interview with American podcaster Lex Fridman, broadcast on Sunday.
Volodymyr Zelensky says he wants to meet Donald Trump to agree on a peace plan between Ukraine and Russia before any negotiations with Vladimir Putin. “First with Trump, we agree with him on how to end the war, how to stop Putin,” explains the Ukrainian head of state. “Trump and I will reach an agreement – and I am sure he will be able to offer strong security guarantees with Europe – and then we can talk to the Russians.”
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“I really count on him”
“I see now that when I talk about something with Donald Trump – whether in person or on the phone – all European leaders ask me: how did it go?” continues Volodymyr Zelensky. “This shows the influence of Donald Trump, and this has never happened before with an American president, in my own experience.” And continued: “I love President Trump’s message when he speaks. I think we share this idea of peace through strength which is very important.”
For Volodymyr Zelensky, when Donald Trump says he wants to end the war, “these are not just words”. “I really count on him and I think our people really count on him,” he said. “He has enough power to put pressure on him, on Putin.”
That the United States does not leave NATO
In the interview published on Sunday, Volodymyr Zelensky said he prayed that Donald Trump would not withdraw the United States from NATO – as the Republican threatened – because such a withdrawal would represent “the biggest risk” for security in Europe, according to the Ukrainian president. Volodymyr Zelensky had already assured Thursday in a television interview that Donald Trump, due to his “unpredictable” character, could be “decisive” in this war.
The interview, recorded at the end of December in kyiv, was conducted by podcaster Lex Fridman in Russian, with Volodymyr Zelensky answering questions in Ukrainian. The initial version of the interview video, however, only provided English dubbing made using artificial intelligence.
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