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Trump Meets With Zelensky

Trump Meets With Zelensky

Former President Donald Trump made waves on Friday morning when he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower in New York. As the GOP nominee for the 2024 presidential election, Trump vowed to bring a swift resolution to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine if he returns to the White House.

“We have a very good relationship,” Trump said, referring to Zelenskyy, but quickly added that he also maintains a “very good relationship” with Russian President Vladimir Putin. His confidence in resolving the conflict, should he win the presidency, was unmistakable: “I think if we win, I think we’re going to get it resolved very quickly.” However, Zelenskyy didn’t hesitate to jump in, emphasizing his hope that his relationship with Trump would be stronger than Trump’s connection with Putin. Trump responded in typical fashion: “It takes two to tango.”

Zelenskyy’s visit to the U.S. coincides with his attendance at the United Nations General Assembly and multiple meetings with U.S. leaders. But this sit-down with Trump carried significant weight, especially given the rocky nature of their relationship in recent years. Trump has been vocal about his criticism of U.S. financial aid to Ukraine and even questioned Zelenskyy’s leadership at times. Tensions heightened after Zelenskyy’s recent visit to an ammunition plant in Pennsylvania, where no Republican officials were present, sparking criticism from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who called for Ukraine to remove its U.S. ambassador, Oksana Markarova, over the handling of the trip.

Zelenskyy has not been shy in returning the criticism, previously stating that Trump “doesn’t really know how to stop the war.” Trump, on the other hand, has long asserted that Russia would never have invaded Ukraine if he had been in office, a claim that remains a central theme of his 2024 campaign.

After their meeting, Trump reflected in an interview with Fox News, saying, “I learned a lot” from his conversation with Zelenskyy. Trump reiterated his stance that both leaders want to see the war end but emphasized that the resolution must be “fair” for both parties. “The president wants it to end as quickly as possible. He wants a fair transaction to take place,” Trump said, while also hinting that the resolution will come when the timing is right.

Zelenskyy was more direct in his post-meeting remarks, focusing on the need to pressure Putin to stop the invasion. “Putin killed so many people,” Zelenskyy said, emphasizing that the war is happening on Ukrainian soil. “He is in our territory. That’s the most important thing. He is in our territory and how to stop the war, to pressure him as we can, we have to do it.”

Trump later took to Truth Social to celebrate the meeting, stating that it was a “great meeting” and once again pledging that the war between Russia and Ukraine would “end quickly” if he is elected. He warned, however, that if he isn’t victorious in 2024, the conflict could escalate into “WORLD WAR III.”

Trump’s confidence in his ability to end the war swiftly is a recurring theme in his rhetoric. He frequently claims that he could resolve the conflict “in a day,” though he remains cagey on the details. When CBS News’ Caitlin Huey-Burns pressed him on what a peace deal might look like, Trump declined to give specifics, saying, “I don’t want to tell you what that looks like.” He did, however, reveal that Putin often told him that Ukraine was “the apple of his eye,” further fueling the narrative that Trump’s relationship with Putin may play a pivotal role in his proposed peace plan.

When asked directly whether Ukraine should cede land to Russia to end the war, Trump sidestepped the question, offering instead a broad appeal for peace. “Let’s get some peace,” he said. “We need peace. We need to stop the death and destruction. Don’t you think? Wouldn’t that be nice?”

The meeting came shortly after Trump posted a message on Truth Social claiming that Zelenskyy had requested a face-to-face meeting while in New York. The timing of the announcement led to some speculation, but both leaders seemed intent on projecting a sense of diplomacy and cooperation—at least on the surface.

Zelenskyy had already met with top U.S. officials, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, earlier in the week. Unsurprisingly, the Harris campaign wasted no time in responding to the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting. A national security spokesperson for Harris’ campaign criticized Trump, saying, “The only Ukraine deal Trump wants is one that benefits Putin, not Ukraine.”

Written by Mark Stevens - September 29, 2024