KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday hailed the “extraordinary” Gaza ceasefire as bringing hope that US President Donald Trump could broker an end to the Russian invasion of his country.
“When peace is achieved for one part of the world, it brings more hope for peace in other regions,” Zelensky said on social media.
He added: “If a ceasefire and peace have been achieved for the Middle East, the leadership and determination of global actors can certainly work for us too, in Ukraine.”
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, setting off the largest conflict in Europe since World War II.
Tens of thousands have been killed, millions forced from their homes and much of eastern and southern Ukraine decimated.
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Trump had once vowed he could end the war in a matter of hours, but despite several rounds of talks and a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, there has been no significant progress towards a peace deal.
Russia has refused multiple calls for a ceasefire and outlined hardline demands, essentially calling for Kyiv to capitulate in exchange for peace.
The US leader has grown increasingly frustrated with Putin in recent weeks and recently said he could see Ukraine reclaiming every inch of territory seized by Russia.
Moscow’s army currently controls around a fifth of Ukraine, including the Crimean peninsula which it captured and annexed in 2014.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also urged Trump to carry the momentum from brokering the Israel-Hamas ceasefire into efforts on Ukraine.
“We also hope that the American president will now use the influence he has exerted on the parties involved in the (Middle East) to work with us on the Russian government,” Merz said in Egypt, where he was to attend a summit of world leaders including Trump.
Merz added that he will discuss the Russia-Ukraine war settlement with Trump at the summit.
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