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Trump, Zelensky, and the Kremlin spar over ceasefire talks and how many soldiers have died in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Source: Meduza

This Sunday, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov traded remarks about a potential ceasefire deal. 

On social media, Trump claimed that “close to 600,000 Russian soldiers lay wounded or dead” while Ukraine has “ridiculously lost 400,000 soldiers and many more civilians.” Zelensky soon clarified that Ukraine has lost “43,000 soldiers killed in action on the battlefield” with another “370,000 cases of medical assistance for the wounded.” He also stressed that he is unwilling to accept just any ceasefire deal:

This is the reality of this war. It cannot simply end with a piece of paper and a few signatures. A ceasefire without guarantees can be reignited at any moment, as Putin has already done before.

Responding to Trump’s argument that “this is [Putin’s] time to act,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow’s “position on Ukraine is well known”:

In his June address at Russia’s Foreign Ministry, President Putin outlined the conditions for an immediate cessation of hostilities. It is important to recall here that it is Ukraine that has rejected and continues to reject negotiations. Moreover, through his own decree, Zelensky has prohibited himself and his administration from any contact with Russia’s leadership. This stance is unchanged. To move forward toward peace, Zelensky simply needs to rescind his decree and authorize the resumption of dialogue based on the Istanbul agreements and with consideration for the realities on the ground.

Commenting on Trump’s claimed loss figures in the war, Peskov said the numbers “present the Ukrainian interpretation and reflect Ukraine’s official position.” The actual casualty figures are “completely different,” insisted Putin’s press secretary, adding that Ukrainian losses “significantly exceed those on the Russian side.”

Citizen monitors working with journalists at Mediazona and the BBC have recorded evidence from publicly available sources (including social media posts by family members, local news reports, and official announcements from regional authorities) verifying the deaths of more than 82,050 Russian soldiers in Ukraine. UA Losses, a similar project that tracks Ukrainian soldiers killed in battle, has counted more than 65,285 deaths.