Resolving the war between Ukraine and Russia is a "priority," while Syria will have to "sort out its own problems," according to President-elect Donald Trump.
"There are a lot of crises in the world," Trump told Paris Match in an interview after his recent visit to Paris, the publication reported Wednesday. "For a few days now, we have had a new one in Syria. They will have to sort it out on their own because we are not involved there, and neither is France. The priority is to resolve the problem of Ukraine with Russia."
Trump spoke with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Dec. 7 in Paris, with French President Emmanuel Macron hosting the meeting.
Trump, Zelenskyy, and Macron spoke for just over a half hour without advisers present.
The leaders did not discuss any specific details about a plan for peace, although Trump repeated his calls for an immediate ceasefire and for negotiations to bring the war to a quick end.
According to sources familiar with their conversation, Zelenskyy used the meeting to explain his country's need for security guarantees if there is to be a negotiated end to the war.
Trump said in his interview with Paris Match that Ukraine and Russia are "suffering incredible human losses."
"Hundreds of thousands of soldiers are being killed. The Middle East is also important, but I think it is a less difficult situation to manage than Ukraine and Russia," he said.
Trump said that he will maintain defense ties with France while discussing the matter of the Ukraine-Russia war with the French leadership.
Zelenskyy, however, said that the war "cannot simply end with a piece of paper and a few signatures."
"A ceasefire without guarantees can be reignited at any moment, as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has already done before," he said. "To ensure that Ukrainians no longer suffer losses, we must guarantee the reliability of peace and not turn a blind eye to occupation."
Trump said often during his presidential campaign that he could bring a swift end to the Russia-Ukraine war.