Russia-Ukraine war: Zelensky says Trump presidency could have ‘strong impact’ on war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday (Dec 19) said that the war could change significantly if Donald Trump were elected US president in 2024. Zelensky’s remarks came amid fears that Washington could reduce aid for the war-ravaged Ukraine. 

Zelensky said during a press conference, “If the policy of the next president, whoever it is, is different towards Ukraine, more cold or more economical, I think these signals will have a very strong impact on the course of the war.” 

So far in the opinion polls, Trump has led in the Republican presidential nomination battle ahead of the 2024 presidential elections, however, he is facing many legal troubles that could even land him in prison. 

Trump has often said that he would have stopped the war, and has also spoken out against President Joe Biden’s military support for Ukraine. 

Referring to Trump, Zelensky said, “I think he will surely have a different policy. I am not sure that the policy of the US as a country towards Ukraine will change. But we have to look at it soberly.” 

“I am confident that the United States will not betray us, that what we agreed on in the United States will be fulfilled, fully,” Zelensky told reporters. 

He slammed Russia’s “arrogance and murder”, and stated that he doesn’t know when the ongoing war will end. Even as his country faces severe battles on the ground and struggles to avoid war fatigue, Zelensky dismissed the prospect of discussions with Russia. 

Referring to the potential negotiations, Zelensky said, “I don’t see a request from Russia. I don’t see it in their actions. I see only arrogance and murder in their rhetoric.” 

The Ukrainian president said that Ukraine’s military had scored “a big victory” on the Black Sea, where Kyiv has launched successful strikes on Russian warships and secured maritime trading routes. 

Zelensky said that everyone can appreciate that the Russian fleet was deprived of its “almost total dominance” in the Ukrainian Black Sea.” He added that Moscow had tried to impose controls over “what we should do, what we should export, and so on”. 

While talking about the war, Zelensky said that the Ukrainian leader said that Ukraine’s military leadership had proposed mobilising “450,000 to 500,000 people” but that he “needed more arguments to support this idea.” 

Watch: US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announces naval operation over Red Sea 

The military officials told the news agency AFP that the Ukrainian army is struggling to find new recruits to battle Russian forces. 

The officials also said that some Ukrainians who entered the conflict in February 2022 are still battling and fatigued, while volunteers to replace those dead or injured are growing scarce. 

Zelensky asked at the start of December that the military command review the recruitment system. He said another wave of mobilisation was “very sensitive” and needed to be handled in a fair way. 

He also warned that Ukraine may not be able to afford mobilising huge numbers, explaining that roughly six taxpayers were needed to finance one soldier. 

“How do we find three million more taxpayers from January on?” Zelensky asked. 

(With inputs from agencies)