Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky began an extremely delicate interview in New York on Friday, given the Republican candidate’s repeated criticism of massive American aid to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president arrived early in the morning at one of the billionaire’s properties, Trump Tower.
“We are going to have a constructive meeting today,” said Donald Trump, praising his “very good relationship” with Volodymyr Zelensky, but also with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We agree that we must end the war in Ukraine,” declared the Ukrainian president.
Traveling in the United States since Sunday, he met the former American president assured of the support of the current administration – but obviously worried about the future of aid to his country at war, in the event of Donald Trump’s victory in the election of November 5.
The Republican candidate, who has made “America first” one of the main markers of his presidency, regularly denounces the enormous sums released by Washington for kyiv since 2022.
“Best seller on the planet”
Just this week, the septuagenarian called Volodymyr Zelensky “the best salesman on the planet”. “Every time he comes to our country, he leaves with $60 billion,” he quipped.
Last week, the Ukrainian presidency announced that Mr. Zelensky planned to meet the former president during his visit to the United States — the fourth since the start of the Russian invasion.
But this interview was put on hold, according to the American press, the Republican not having appreciated an interview given by the Ukrainian leader to the magazine New Yorker – in which he affirmed that the Republican candidate did not “really know how to stop this war”.
Donald Trump has in fact repeatedly claimed that if he were re-elected, he would resolve the war between Russia and Ukraine “in 24 hours” – without ever explaining how.
“I think we can find an agreement that is good for both sides,” he repeated again on Friday.
Support from Biden and Harris
The meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky comes the day after a visit to Washington by the Ukrainian president, where he spoke with President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris, after a visit to the US Congress.
“Russia will not win,” assured Joe Biden when receiving him at the White House. In order to “help Ukraine win this war”, he had announced a little earlier an “increase in security aid” – but without giving the green light hoped for by kyiv to fire missile missiles towards Russia. long range made in the USA.
“This war can be won and a just peace can be concluded but only with the United States,” argued Volodymyr Zelensky, who came to present his “victory plan” aimed at putting an end to the Russian invasion that began on February 24, 2022.
“Surrender”
“My support for the Ukrainian people is unwavering,” Democratic White House candidate Kamala Harris reassured him during a separate meeting.
“There are people in my country who would like to force Ukraine to give up large portions of its sovereign territory, […] These are proposals for capitulation, which is dangerous and irresponsible,” she added in an allusion to her Republican rival Donald Trump.
Moscow, whose troops have been making progress in recent months against kyiv’s forces, claimed Thursday the capture of Ukraïnsk, a town in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
The conquest of Donbass, the Ukrainian industrial basin which includes the Donetsk region, is President Putin’s “number one priority”.