Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured, this Sunday, December 8, that he wanted “lasting peace” for his country, the day after an interview in Paris with American President-elect Donald Trump, who called for a “ceasefire immediate” and negotiations to end the war with Russia. For its part, the Kremlin accuses its Ukrainian counterpart of “refusing to negotiate” with Vladimir Putin the end of the conflict in Ukraine, once again demanding that kyiv take into account “the realities on the ground”. “It is the Ukrainian side that refused and still refuses to negotiate. Furthermore, Zelensky by decree prohibited himself and his administration from any contact with the Russian leaders, and this position has not changed” , Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov whispered to journalists.
Volodymyr Zelensky has long been categorically opposed to any concession to Vladimir Putin, but has softened this position in recent months. At issue: the difficulties of its army on the front and the fears of a weakening of Western aid. He notably put forward the idea that Ukraine temporarily renounces recovering the territories controlled by Russia – almost a fifth of the country – in exchange for security guarantees from NATO and deliveries of Western arms. . “I said that we need a just and lasting peace, a peace that the Russians will not be able to destroy in a few years, as they have done many times in the past,” insisted the Ukrainian president, by evoking his meeting in Paris with Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron.
“When we talk about effective peace with Russia, we must first of all talk about effective peace guarantees,” he added, calling on his allies to “guarantee the reliability of peace and not turn a blind eye to the occupation” of Ukrainian territories. Russia is demanding that Ukraine cede four regions in the east and south of the country which it partially occupies, in addition to Crimea annexed in 2014, and that kyiv renounces joining NATO. Conditions deemed unacceptable by the Ukrainian authorities.
43,000 people killed since 2022
Volodymyr Zelensky also revealed this Sunday the extent of the official losses suffered by the Ukrainian army since 2022: 43,000 killed and 370,000 wounded. The president had only revealed once in the past, in February 2024, the figures for Ukrainian losses. Russia does not communicate its losses. But they were estimated at more than 82,000 killed by the independent media Mediazone and the BBC Russian service, which are based on the exploitation of public information, such as official press releases, obituaries or death announcements on social networks, as well as the observation of graves in cemeteries .
These loss figures, both Russian and Ukrainian, could however be underestimated, in particular not taking into account those missing, according to experts. “This is the reality of this war. It cannot end simply with a piece of paper and a few signatures,” argued Volodymyr Zelensky.
Donald Trump had estimated, a few hours earlier, that Ukraine “needlessly” lost 400,000 soldiers and “many more civilians”, while “600,000 Russian soldiers are injured or dead, in a war which would never have been had to start and could last forever. “There should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin. Too many lives have been lost in vain, too many families have been destroyed, and if this continues it could turn into something bigger, and much worse,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
In his message, Donald Trump, who will take office on January 20, also assured that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “would like to reach an agreement” to end the war. The meeting with Donald Trump in Paris was of crucial importance for Volodymyr Zelensky, who fears American disengagement after almost three years of a devastating Russian invasion.
Donald Trump has been very critical of the billions of dollars spent on Ukraine. He has repeatedly affirmed that he intends to strongly distance himself from the policy of massive support for kyiv led by Joe Biden and promised to resolve the war quickly. On Saturday, the US Department of Defense announced new military aid to Ukraine estimated at $988 million, with only weeks left to provide funds already budgeted for before the Republican’s inauguration.