For Ukraine, the next eight weeks will be the most crucial and challenging since 1991. Ukraine's ambassador to Brazil, Andriy Melnyk, stated in an interview with Radio Free Europe that our country needs to resolve certain issues before the inauguration of the newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump to end the war on its terms.
"Believe me, from my perspective: these next eight weeks will be the most responsible and challenging in Ukraine's history since 1991. In other words, we need to act now. By the day of the inauguration, I fear that a decision will have already been made, making it more difficult for us," he explained.
The ambassador believes that it is not wise to try to predict the future. He noted that among all allies, only the U.S. can significantly influence the course of the war in Ukraine.
"It is already too late to take action, and I personally have significant doubts, for instance, that this Chinese-Brazilian initiative will have any serious practical continuation, considering that the new U.S. president has effectively identified the issue of the Russian war against Ukraine as one of the few he wants to address as soon as possible, aiming to resolve this war within 24 hours," he shared.
The ambassador added that Ukrainians should take Trump's words about ending the war in Ukraine within 24 hours seriously. He emphasized that our country does not need to seek other mediators to fundamentally change the situation.
"I honestly have my doubts, although there is a certain probability that he will want to share the laurels of peacemaker with someone else, especially with China or Brazil - with anyone," the diplomat said.
Ukraine needs to focus its diplomatic, political, and public efforts in the next eight weeks leading up to Trump's inauguration, the ambassador told reporters. He believes that the new U.S. president's opinion can still be influenced:
"All possible channels that exist - diplomatic, political, familial, public, religious, whatever - must be utilized so that our diplomacy works not only in Washington but primarily in Mar-a-Lago, Florida - where the newly elected president spends most of his time - to truly disrupt the expectations we have and to work through several scenarios of how this can unfold. Because the worst-case scenario would be that some decisions are imposed on Ukraine without our consent."
Trump and the War in Ukraine - Latest News
Earlier, The Guardian reported that there are individuals within the inner circle of newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump who might agree to Moscow's terms in potential negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Journalists shared that no one in Russia is in a hurry to strike a deal.
Additionally, UNIAN reported that recent decisions by U.S. President Joe Biden could assist Trump in ending the war in Ukraine. It was noted that the White House approved the supply of anti-personnel mines to our country and wrote off nearly $5 billion in debt.