Zelensky says Ukraine has 'hope' Trump can push Putin toward peace
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky recently expressed optimism that President-elect Donald Trump’s reputation could potentially sway Russian President Vladimir Putin toward peace.
Zelensky asserted during an interview with CBN News anchor and co-host of “Faith Nation,” John Jessup, that Ukrainians “were always for peace,” even before Trump’s reelection.
The Ukrainian president highlighted the Eastern European country’s Evangelical community, reportedly the largest in Europe, and the hope they have in Trump and his “position as a strong president.”
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“That is what is coming across, and I think that Putin understands strength only,” Zelensky said. “So then he would see that there is this strong president, strong country standing with Ukraine, and then we can achieve peace through strength.”
“That’s the hope that people have for the new administration and new president, and people believe in what he says."
Regarding negotiating for peace alongside the incoming administration, Zelensky was optimistic that he and Trump “will be able to understand one another,” highlighting his recent phone calls and meetings with the president-elect.
One of Trump’s recent meetings with Zelensky occurred Saturday in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron. The three world leaders gathered to celebrate the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral and to continue discussions about the war in Ukraine.
Zelensky described Saturday's meeting as “good and productive,” writing on social media that Trump was “resolute” as always.
During the interview with CBN News, Zelensky stated that he and Trump plan to explore “all the opportunities” to end the war between Russia and Ukraine “as soon as possible, and as just as possible.”
As he discussed the ongoing conflict, Zelensky also expressed gratitude for the Evangelical churches and various religious denominations that have supported Ukraine since the invasion in February 2022. In response to Russia’s attack, Christian humanitarian groups responded by supplying emergency aid and other resources to Ukraine.
“And I want to thank all the churches — all the Evangelical Christians. And, as I have said, we have representatives of different religions, faiths and confessions,” he said. “And from the very beginning of the full-scale invasion, they were helping a lot.”
Trump called for a ceasefire and negotiations between the two nations in a Sunday post on his Truth Social account. The president-elect referenced the rebels in Syria, led by the Islamist alliance Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that ousted President Bashar al-Assad over the weekend.
"Assad is gone. He has fled his country. His protector, Russia, Russia, Russia, led by Vladimir Putin, was not interested in protecting him any longer. There was no reason for Russia to be there in the first place," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"They lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, where close to 600,000 Russian soldiers lay wounded or dead, in a war that should never have started and could go on forever."
Trump argued that Russia and Iran are in a “weakened state” due to Ukraine, a bad economy and what Trump described as Israel’s “fighting success.” Trump stated that Zelensky and the people of Ukraine want to negotiate and “stop the madness.”
"There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin,” he continued. “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."
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
