Kiev needs a ‘lasting’ peace, which Russia cannot ‘destroy’ in the future. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the newly elected US President Donald Trump when they met in Paris to discuss the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war for almost three years. He announced this information on social media on Sunday (December 8). The French news agency AFP reported this news.

Earlier, Trump, however, said Zelensky was interested in making a “deal” and called for talks to begin. The pair met French leader Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee, a day earlier.
Trump proudly said that he can end this conflict quickly. However, Trump did not specify how he could do that. Deadly attacks in recent weeks have exacerbated the escalating conflict. Meanwhile, Moscow and Kyiv are preparing for Trump’s inauguration in the White House.

“I said we need a just and lasting peace, which Russia will not be able to destroy in a few years, as they have repeatedly done in the past,” Zelensky said on social media.

Nearly three years of war have devastated Ukraine. Thousands of people have died in the war and millions have fled the country.

“Ukrainians want peace more than anyone else,” he said. Russia has brought war to our soil, and it is Russia that seeks to disrupt the prospect of peace the most.’

He urged Western allies not to be “blind to occupation”. He said Kiev would only agree to a deal that would bring long-term peace. Zelensky said, “War cannot last forever.” Peace must be permanent and reliable.’

In a rare admission, Zelensky said that 43,000 of the country’s soldiers had been killed and about 370,000 wounded in the war.

Both sides are believed to have suffered heavy casualties in this battle. And this number is very high.

“Main Condition”

Zelensky did not give specifics on the main aspects of what the peace talks might look like. But a senior Ukrainian official said they had discussed “some key conditions” to end the war.

The source said, ‘We are not divulging any details. However, both Trump and Zelensky said in the meeting that there should be something that will ensure the reliability of peace.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin alleged that Ukraine “refused” to discuss an end to the war. The country has said that its conditions for entering peace talks remain unchanged in Kiev’s relinquishment of four territories.

“The Ukrainian side rejects that and talks,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

He cited a 2022 Ukrainian decree that was rejected after talks with Putin.

Earlier, Trump had called for an “immediate ceasefire” and the start of negotiations. On social media, Truth, he wrote, ‘Many lives are being wasted for no reason, many families have been destroyed. If this continues, it could turn into something bigger and worse.’

Trump claimed to have a good relationship with Putin.

How long can the war last?

Despite statements by leaders in Kyiv, Moscow and Paris, the situation in eastern Ukraine remained dire. On Sunday, Moscow claimed control of another village in eastern Ukraine, Blagodatn in the Donetsk region.

Many in Ukraine fear that Trump will force Kiev to make major concessions if he takes power. Meanwhile, this nation is also tired of seeing war.

Mykola Litvinov, one of the remaining front-line residents of Osinovo village in eastern Kharkiv region, found some hope in the news of the meeting between Trump and Zelensky. Litvinov, 80, said he hoped the meeting would contribute to a negotiated end to the conflict, as he cleared the soil from his backyard vegetable patch.

He told AFP, ‘How long can we stay in the war? So many people have been killed, so many young people.

He suggested, “Ukraine could have retained more territory if it had already negotiated with Russia. However, Litvinov also said that he is also seeking an end to the fight for another personal reason. According to him, “My two children are fighting. I just want them to be alive.”