Zelenskyy says Trump can halt war, citing equal footing in talks with Putin

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that US President Donald Trump has the ability to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, arguing that Trump engages Russian President Vladimir Putin on equal terms and that the United States is significantly stronger than Russia.

Speaking to journalists at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants the war to stop and believes Trump is uniquely positioned to influence that outcome.

“We want this war to stop. I think President Trump can do it — he really can — because he is engaged in dialogue with Putin. Not everyone engages in dialogue, even at that level. He is in dialogue with Putin on equal terms,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian President stressed that the United States is far more powerful than Russia, noting that US military capabilities exceed those of Moscow, particularly in light of lessons learned from Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Zelenskyy added that Ukraine remains open to compromise, but underlined that Russia will not succeed militarily.

“They want to find compromises. You know that we are open to different steps, and I have said that compromises are between two sides. Russia cannot win this war. It has not won, and it will not win,” he said.

However, Zelenskyy said he remains uncertain whether the Russian leader genuinely wants to end the war under current conditions, especially given Russia’s losses and its failure to achieve its original objectives.

Zelenskyy noted Russia’s economy is severely strained and its army is exhausted. He acknowledged that Ukraine’s forces are also fatigued but said Kyiv is transparent about the challenges it faces.

“The Ukrainian army is tired as well, and we speak honestly about this. We are doing everything we can together with our soldiers, and they are doing everything they can,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Russian losses remain high and are continuing to rise.