E-Paper
Donald Trump touts ‘good ties’ with Vladimir Putin, ‘…let’s hope for good relations,’ Zelensky asks back
At Trump Tower, Donald Trump assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky he could “very quickly” end the Russia-Ukraine war if he wins the 2024 election.
Former US President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Trump Tower in New York on Friday morning, where Trump expressed confidence that he could end the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine “very quickly” if he wins the 2024 election.
“We have a very good relationship, and I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin,” Trump said prior to their discussion.
“And I think if we win, I think we're going to get it resolved very quickly.”
Zelensky, who was in the US for the United Nations General Assembly, responded by expressing hope that his relationship with Trump could improve. He said he hopes they “have more good relations” than their strained ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump, in turn, remarked, “It takes two to tango.” Trump has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s funding of Ukraine’s war efforts and has, at times, expressed scepticism about Zelenskyy's leadership.
Is Trump a glimmer of hope for Ukraine-Russia peace?
This unease was recently heightened after Zelenskyy’s visit to a munitions factory in Pennsylvania, which drew criticism from some U.S. lawmakers. Notably, House Speaker Mike Johnson called for Zelenskyy to dismiss the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, following the visit, as no Republican officials were invited to participate in the event.
Trump’s criticism of US aid to Ukraine is not new, but Zelenskyy has also voiced concerns over Trump’s stance, stating in the past that the former president “doesn’t really know how to stop the war.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed that he could bring about peace in Ukraine within a day touted that the war “would never have started” if he had still been president.
Trump spoke with Fox News about his discussion with Zelensky, and said that he “learned a lot” from their conversation. He reaffirmed, “We both want to see it end and a fair deal made. It has to be fair. I think it will happen at the right time.”
ALSO READ| Netanyahu attacks ‘hypocrite' UN, calls it ‘antisemitic swamp’ for singling out Israel
“The president [Zelenskyy] wants it to end as quickly as possible. He wants a fair transaction to take place.”
Zelenskyy, who has consistently advocated for increased pressure on Russia, reiterated, “Putin killed so many people, and, of course, we need to do everything to pressure him to stop this war. He is in our territory. That's the most important. He is in our territory, and how to stop the war, to pressure him as we can, we have to do it.”
