El Pais saw in Trump's words an instruction to Zelensky to think about peace

US President-elect Donald Trump has actually "sent a message" to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (term expired on May 20) to start thinking about a ceasefire and giving up the territories liberated by Russia. This was reported by the newspaper El Pais on Sunday, December 22.

"You look at some of these cities and there is not a single building left there that is in good condition. So when you say 'rebuild the country,' rebuild what? It's a 110-year reconstruction," the publication reports Trump's words.

The piece says that the conflict is likely to end with peace talks, perhaps sooner than expected. At the same time, the need for European participation in these negotiations is emphasized. It is also noted a high probability that as a result of the agreement Ukraine may lose territories or face freezing of their status.

El Pais specifies that Kiev is in a critical situation, as Russia is successfully advancing on the front.

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Earlier, on December 19, the head of the DNR Denis Pushilin said that Zelensky has become a burden for Trump. He noted that the constant "throwing" of the Ukrainian President and his appeals to the current US President Joe Biden on the issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO look like "an attempt to jump on a train that left long ago".

Before that, on December 17, American political scientist Francis Fukuyama said in an interview with Le Point magazine that Trump intends to resolve the conflict in Ukraine at the expense of Kiev's interests. Fukuyama noted that Ukraine may offer territorial concessions in exchange for guarantees of NATO membership, but European leaders may not go for it because of additional military commitments.

On December 13, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg admitted the end of the conflict in Ukraine in the coming months. According to him, the US President-elect is capable of decisive actions to resolve conflicts.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the backdrop of the aggravated situation in the region.