Trump open to Zelenskyy's attendance at inauguration, urges Ukraine to seek peace deal

US President-elect Donald Trump, in his first press conference since securing victory in the November elections, addressed several key foreign policy matters, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the potential attendance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his inauguration on January 20, 2025.

Asked whether he had invited Zelenskyy to his inauguration, Trump clarified that no formal invitation had been extended, but he would be open to the idea, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

"I didn’t invite him, no. But if he’d like to come, I’d like to have him," Trump said during the press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 16.

While it is rare for foreign leaders to be invited to US presidential inaugurations, the incoming president’s team typically decides on the guest list. In contrast, reports revealed that Chinese President Xi Jinping had been invited but had declined the offer to attend.

As the inauguration draws near, Trump also turned his attention to the war in Ukraine, urging President Zelenskyy to prepare for a potential agreement to end the conflict.

Reflecting on the toll of the war, Trump stated, “He [Zelenskyy] should be ready to make an agreement. That's it. Trump said he is “trying to get the war stopped; that horrible, horrible war that’s going on in Ukraine.”

“People are being killed at levels that nobody’s ever seen. It’s very level fields, and the only thing that stops a bullet is a body, a human body,” the president-elect said.

Trump did not detail what sort of deal he’d like the countries to strike to end the war Russia launched with its invasion, or whether he would expect Ukraine to give up territory to the Kremlin.

“There are cities where there’s not a building standing,” Trump said. “It’s a demolition site. There’s not a building standing. People can’t go back to those cities. It’s just rubble.”

The president-elect emphasized that Russia should also be involved in the negotiations, underscoring the need for diplomacy to bring about a resolution.

By Vafa Guliyeva