Trump demands "immediate ceasefire" in Ukraine

The newly elected president of the USA, Donald Trump, has started working on his agenda. Specifically, this now includes Ukraine.

The newly elected President of the USA, Donald Trump, has called for an "immediate ceasefire" in Ukraine.

In a message posted on his online platform Truth Social on Sunday, he called on Kiev and Moscow to enter into negotiations.

Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky wants a "deal" with Russia to end the war, Trump explained.

The Republican, who begins his second term in the White House on January 20, met with Zelensky a day earlier in Paris.

The French head of state, Emmanuel Macron, also participated in the meeting.

Zelensky called the talks good and productive.

In a statement released later, Zelensky called for a "just peace" and "strong security guarantees" for his country.

The Ukrainian president and Trump had gone to Paris to attend the reopening of the Notre-Dame cathedral, restored after fire damage.

Zelensky demands security guarantees

Trump now declared: "Zelensky and Ukraine would like to make a deal and end the madness."

The former and future president of the USA also warned about the risk of an expansion of the conflict in Ukraine: "Many lives are being lost in vain, many families have been destroyed, and if this continues, it can become something much bigger and much more bad," Trump wrote.

During the election campaign, Trump announced that he would end the war in Ukraine "within 24 hours", but to date he has not explained exactly how he intends to achieve this. He sharply criticized the massive US military aid to Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia.

Trump-Zelensky meeting – political success

The original plan was for French President Emmanuel Macron to receive Trump and Zelensky one after the other and individually.

The tripartite meeting is a political success, but it does not immediately make France the epicenter of international diplomacy.

This is the opinion of Jean de Gliniasty, former diplomat and head of research at the French Institute of International and Strategic Relations IRIS.

He does not believe that France can mediate in the Ukrainian conflict, de Gliniasty declared in France Info: "Trump now occupies all the space and France looks more like the mouthpiece of those who want to help Ukraine at all costs." However, I think Macron may be able to influence Trump to get enough concessions from the Russian side to make peace possible," the former diplomat said.

Scholz believes in a deal with Trump on Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz believes it will be possible to reach an agreement with US President-elect Donald Trump on how to proceed with Ukraine.

"I have already spoken at length on the phone with the next US president and we also have a direct dialogue with his security policy officials. I am convinced that we can develop a common strategy for Ukraine", Scholz declared for the statements of the Funke media group.

When asked if Ukraine would have to give up territory to silence the weapons, he replied that nothing should be decided without regard for Ukrainians. /DW/