United States President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday made it clear that resolving the Ukraine crisis will be his top priority when he takes office next month.
In an interview with Paris Match, Trump described the conflict between Ukraine and Russia as a critical issue, pointing to the heavy casualties on both sides.
He emphasised the urgency of finding a solution to the war, which has resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
Trump also stated that while the Middle East remains a significant concern, the situation in Ukraine with Russia is a more challenging problem.
“I think we have to solve the Ukraine problem with Russia,” the US president-elect told French magazine Paris Match in an interview recorded on Saturday and released on Wednesday, as reported by AFP.
“Both those countries are losing numbers that nobody can believe. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers are being killed. And the Middle East is of course a big priority. But I think that the Middle East is a less difficult situation than Ukraine with Russia,” Trump said.
“But those are the two situations that we have to solve and we have to solve them quickly. A lot of people are dying,” Trump said, replying to a question about his top priority on the international stage.
Trump, who was in Paris for the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral after the devastating fire in 2019, met with French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Following their meeting, Zelensky expressed gratitude for Trump’s commitment to ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump reiterated his belief that the conflict could be resolved quickly, suggesting that an immediate ceasefire should be put in place and negotiations should begin.
In the same interview, Trump also made it clear that the US should not be involved in Syria, asserting that Syria must handle its own affairs.