(Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on his inauguration and hailed the opportunity to achieve a just peace in his country which has been battling a Russian invasion for almost three years.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country was open to dialogue with the new Trump administration on the conflict in Ukraine, as he welcomed what he said was the president-elect's attitude toward preventing a third world war.

Soldiers and civilians alike say that after so much loss, the new U.S. president must push for a just settlement, not peace at any cost.