Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in the 2024 presidential election.

“Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump on his impressive election victory! “I remember our great meeting with President Trump in September, when we discussed in detail the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States, the Victory Plan and ways to end Russian aggression against Ukraine,” Zelensky wrote in his statement on Wednesday Post on X, formerly Twitter.

“I appreciate President Trump's commitment to the 'peace through strength' approach to global affairs. This is precisely the principle that can practically bring a just peace in Ukraine closer. I hope that together we will put it into practice.”

The United States has been the largest donor of military aid to Kiev since Russian President Vladimir Putin's all-out invasion began. Congress approved five bills worth a total of $175 billion. But Washington's support was a sticking point for Trump, who opposed continuing aid to Ukraine and criticized Zelensky for failing to reach an agreement to end the fighting.

On Wednesday, the Ukrainian president further wrote that Kyiv relies on continued “strong bipartisan support” in the United States and that he is “interested in developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that benefits both nations.”

“Ukraine, as one of the strongest military powers in Europe, is committed to ensuring long-term peace and security in Europe and the transatlantic community with the support of our allies,” he said. “I look forward to personally congratulating President Trump and discussing ways to strengthen Ukraine’s strategic partnership with the United States.”

Newsweek has reached out to the Office of the President of Ukraine for comment via email and has asked the Trump campaign for comment via email outside of regular business hours.

During the election campaign, Trump said he wanted to end the war in Ukraine quickly.

In May he said: “If I were president and said this, I would end this war in a day, it would take 24 hours. I know Zelensky well. I know Putin well. I would make sure it ends in a certain time of 24 hours, it would be easy, this deal would be easy.

Military experts and former Vice President Mike Pence largely criticized this statement. Pence said: “The only way to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours would be to give Vladimir Putin what he wants. And that is the last thing the United States should ever ask Ukraine to do.”

The Kremlin also criticized Trump's claim, saying it needed to be “realistic,” according to Reuters.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said this previously Newsweek: “President Trump will end the war and the killing. Others seem to want the war and the killing to continue.”

Trump voters appeared to agree with the president on continued support for Ukraine, as polls were conducted exclusively for them Newsweek A Redfield poll in early October found that 26 percent of likely Trump voters said they wanted to end support for Ukraine and 40 percent thought Washington should “reconsider” its level of support.

Additionally, only 34 percent of Trump supporters said they thought defending Ukraine was vital to U.S. interests, compared to 66 percent of Harris supporters.

Trump has also previously accused the Ukrainian president of starting the war with Russia in February 2022.

During an interview on PBD PodcastTrump said: “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to help him, because I have great compassion for these people. But he should never have let this war start. War is a loser.”

He also previously called Zelensky the “biggest salesman in the world” because he had received millions in military aid from the United States since the start of the war.

In September Zelensky said The New Yorker that he thought Trump didn’t “really know how to end the war.”

“I feel like Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he could.” think he knows how. When it comes to this war, the deeper you look at it, the less you understand it. “I’ve seen a lot of leaders who were convinced they knew how to end it tomorrow, and as they dug deeper into it, they realized it wasn’t that easy,” he said.