"Unpredictable" Trump could help end Russia-Ukraine war, Zelensky says

Driving the news: Trump "can be decisive in this war. He is capable of stopping Putin or, to put it more fairly, help us stop Putin," Zelensky said in a televised interview that aired on Ukrainian TV Thursday, Reuters reported.

• Trump "is strong and unpredictable," Zelensky said, per AP.
• "I would very much like President Trump's unpredictability to be directed primarily toward the Russian Federation," he added.

The big picture: Trump has repeatedly criticized the Biden administration's aid to Ukraine over the course of the war.

• Last year, he reportedly suggested in private that he would end the war by pressuring Kyiv to cede territory to Russia, a prospect that Ukrainian officials vehemently oppose.
• During a presidential debate last year, Trump refused to say whether he wanted to see Ukraine win the war.

State of play: A post-election call between Trump and Zelensky helped reassure Ukrainian officials who had been concerned by Trump's previous statements about the war.

• Days later, Trump also warned Putin not to escalate the conflict.
• Trump met with Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris in December to discuss ways to end the war.

Go deeper: Ukraine's lame duck danger: Biden and Putin escalate before Trump arrives