Zelenskyy meets with Donald Trump in New York as uncertainty over future of US support for Ukraine remains

Trump, speaking to Fox News after their 40-minute meeting, stated, “We both want to see this end, and we both want to see a fair deal made. The president wants it to end, and he wants it to end as quickly as possible. He wants a fair transaction to take place.”

Zelenskyy expressed that the war should not have started and emphasized the need to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin for peace. “We need to do everything to pressure him to stop this war. He is in our territory. That’s most important to understand. He is in our territory.”

The meeting occurred as the U.S. presidential election approaches, with Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic opponent, taking different stances on Ukraine. Zelenskyy aims to maintain strong relations with the U.S., a major supplier of arms and financial aid for Ukraine. However, support could be uncertain if Trump wins the election.

Trump has praised his relationship with Putin, describing him as “pretty smart” for invading Ukraine. He has criticized U.S. support for Ukraine and labeled Zelenskyy a “salesman” for securing military aid from Washington. Trump referenced his first impeachment, which stemmed from his request for Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter while withholding $400 million in military aid to Ukraine. Trump was later acquitted by a Republican-led Senate.

Trump stated, “He could have grandstanded and played cute. And he didn’t do that. He said, ‘President Trump did absolutely nothing wrong.’ He said it loud and clear.”In October 2019, amidst an impeachment inquiry, Zelenskyy said there was “no blackmail” from Trump and expressed his intent to stay out of U.S. elections. However, reports indicated U.S. officials knew Zelenskyy felt pressured by Trump’s administration to investigate Biden even before their phone call.Zelenskyy’s visit to the U.N. General Assembly almost did not include the meeting with Trump. In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Zelenskyy suggested Trump misunderstood the conflict and criticized his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, for advocating Ukraine to sacrifice territories.

Trump criticized Ukraine during two events this week, calling the country “demolished” and its people “dead.” He argued, “Any deal – the worst deal – would’ve been better than what we have now. If they made a bad deal, it would’ve been much better. They would’ve given up a little bit and everybody would be living and every building would be built and every tower would be aging for another 2,000 years.”

Harris, on Thursday, supported Zelenskyy and countered Trump’s suggestion for a quick deal to end the war as “not proposals for peace,” but “proposals for surrender.” Trump clarified, saying he was not advocating for a surrender.

When asked if Ukraine could win the war, Trump replied, “Sure. They could,” and added, “We have a very good relationship. And I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin. And if we win, I think we’re going to get it resolved very quickly.”

Zelenskyy added, “I hope we have more good relations between us,” to which Trump responded, “but, you know, it takes two to tango.”

(With inputs from AP)