Former U.S. President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has announced that he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
This meeting comes at a time of heightened tensions between the two leaders. During a press conference on Thursday at Trump Tower in Manhattan, Trump stated, "President Zelensky has asked to meet with me, and I will be meeting with him tomorrow morning at around 9:45 in Trump Tower." The context of this meeting is complex.
Zelensky is currently in the United States for the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Reports had circulated that Zelensky's team did not initially plan to meet with Trump during his visit.
However, Trump shared a letter from the Ukrainian president asking for a favorable time to meet in New York, contradicting earlier reports. Trump has been openly critical of the U.S. response to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, which began when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Trump reiterated his stance during the press conference, claiming, "if he were president, Russia would've never invaded Ukraine." He emphasized the need to end the war but refrained from explicitly supporting a Ukrainian victory, stating, "I think it's in the U.S. best interest to get this war finished and just get it done, negotiate a deal because we have to stop human lives from being destroyed."
In contrast, current U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been staunch allies of Zelensky, providing substantial military aid to Ukraine. Harris met with Zelensky on Thursday at the White House, where she pledged to "ensure Ukraine prevails in this war."
Zelensky also met with Biden and shared his "victory plan," aimed at strengthening Ukraine's battlefield position to achieve a future peace settlement with Russia.
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