Ukraine expects Trump-Zelenskiy meeting, swift contact after inauguration

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shake hands inside the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral ahead of a ceremony to mark its re-opening following the 2019 fire, in Paris, France, December 7, 2024. LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine expects high-level contact with the new U.S. administration immediately after Donald Trump takes office, including an eventual meeting between the U.S. president-elect and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kyiv said on Friday.

Kyiv sees cultivating close ties with Trump as a paramount goal and has been making overtures to the Republican who won the U.S. presidential election in November, promising to rapidly end Russia's nearly three-year all-out war with Ukraine.