(Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on his inauguration and hailed the opportunity to achieve a just peace in his country which has been battling a Russian invasion for almost three years.
Trump has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and has promised to promptly end the war, although he did not say how.
“President Trump is always decisive, and the peace-through-strength policy he announced provides an opportunity to strengthen American leadership and achieve a long-term and just peace, which is the top priority,” Zelenskiy said on X.
Ukraine sees cultivating close ties with the incoming Trump administration as a key goal and has been making overtures to the Republican following his triumph in November’s U.S. election.
Zelenskiy said on Monday Ukraine was looking forward to active and “mutually beneficial” cooperation with the Trump administration.
“We are stronger together, and we can provide greater security, stability, and economic growth to the world and our two nations,” he added.
Speaking later in his nightly video address, Zelenskiy described Trump as a “strong person” able to provide the impetus needed to press ahead with efforts to achieve peace.
“This is an opportunity that must be seized,” he said.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa and Ron Popeski; Editing by Alison Williams, Jan Harvey and David Gregorio)
