Photo: Alina Smutko/ Reuters
Ukraine is convinced that US President Donald Trump is able to stop a full-scale war with Russia this year if Washington increases its involvement in putting pressure on the Kremlin and at the same time strengthens Ukraine’s defence capabilities. This was stated by Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga during a panel discussion at the GLOBSEC-2025 security forum in Bratislava.
“We believe,” Sibiga replied succinctly to the moderator’s call for a show of hands from those who still believe in President Trump’s ability to fulfil his promise to end the war.
The foreign minister stressed that Kyiv appreciates Washington’s initiatives, in particular the ceasefire proposal that has been in place on the Ukrainian side for a hundred days. According to him, it is the pressure on Russia and the US support for Ukraine that can open the way to negotiations on a broader peace agreement.
“The fundamental step is a complete ceasefire. We need to put pressure on Russia to say yes unconditionally. After that, we will have a chance to accelerate peace efforts,” Sibiga stressed.
The minister also outlined a clear recipe for achieving peace: “Leadership and involvement of the American side in raising the price for Russia for continuing the war. We are talking about sanctions, international isolation, confiscation of frozen assets and, of course, strengthening Ukraine’s defence capabilities.”
Sibiga believes that if these conditions are met, there will be a real prospect of a lasting peace for Ukraine as early as 2025.
