Former US President Donald Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this Friday, September 27, and he is likely to reiterate his controversial comments about a quick peace deal with Russia during this meeting.
Speaking before the Trump Tower in New York, the Republican presidential candidate, in a significant turnaround, confirmed to reporters that he would meet with the Ukrainian leader in the same building Friday morning.
“I can’t wait to see him tomorrow”declared Donald Trump, before adding: “I think I will be able to reach an agreement between President Vladimir Putin and President Volodymyr Zelensky quite quickly.”
The meeting is part of efforts by the Ukrainian leader during his week-long trip to the United States to garner support for what Ukraine called a “victory plan”which will be presented to US President Joe Biden, Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and his opponent Donald Trump.
Ukrainian officials fear that the United States’ commitment to their country will wane as the war drags on, and even more so if Donald Trump wins the November presidential election and moves back into the White House. .
In recent weeks, kyiv has stepped up efforts to secure additional American support for its war effort, ahead of what could be the harshest winter since the start of the war against Russia.
A quick peace deal
Asked by journalists about the possibility that Ukraine would have to give up parts of its territory to reach a peace agreement with Russia, a possibility that Ukraine rejects, Donald Trump remained vague.
“We’ll see what happens”he replied, before adding: “We need peace. We must end the death and destruction.”
On the other hand, the Republican candidate insisted that he “will be able to reach an agreement […] quite quickly ”, a statement that the Republican has repeated numerous times over the past two years.
However, earlier on Thursday, September 26, during a campaign event in North Carolina, Donald Trump was more direct about the fact that he did not support Ukraine or Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal [de paix]Volodymyr Zelensky, he explained.
According to him, kyiv should have “give in a little”to appease Moscow and prevent Russia from invading the country, which “had no reason to be”.
“Any agreement, even the worst, would have been preferable to the current situation“, the former US president said about Russia’s destruction of Ukraine.
His campaign partner, JD Vance, had already publicly stated that he believed Russia could keep the lands it currently occupies and that Ukraine would eventually have to forget about NATO membership to end the war.
US Vice President Kamala Harris called Donald Trump’s campaign policies a “proposals of capitulation”.
“These proposals are the same as those of [Vladimir] Putin, and let’s be clear, these are not peace proposals […] On the contrary, they are proposals for capitulation, which is dangerous and unacceptable”she said this Thursday.
A public quarrel
Earlier in the week, there was speculation that Donald Trump might reject Volodymyr Zelensky’s request for a meeting, following a public spat with Republican officials over a visit to a munitions factory in Pennsylvania. The Republican Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, called the trip election interference.
Just before announcing the meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, the Republican candidate posted a message from the Ukrainian president in which the latter asked him to meet him, with the aim of “make an effort to understand each other”.
The fact that Donald Trump decided to publicly disclose the private messages fuels the tension that has been brewing for some time between the two men.
Volodymyr Zelensky has long sought to meet the former US president, as they have not seen each other in person since 2021. A previous attempt last July, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, was unsuccessful. not materialized.
More US aid for Ukraine
Donald Trump’s acceptance of Volodymyr Zelensky’s request came just hours after outgoing US President Joe Biden met with his Ukrainian counterpart at the White House in Washington DC and announced new military aid worth more than 8 billion dollars for Ukraine.
“I have asked the Department of Defense to allocate all remaining security assistance funds to Ukraine by the end of my term”announced Joe Biden, the Ukrainian president at his side.
Washington’s new aid program will include the first delivery of a medium-range glide guided bomb, called “Joint Standoff Weapon” (JSOW), with a range of up to 130 kilometers.
Although it does not meet Ukraine’s request to receive long-range missiles to strike deep into Russian territory, it significantly improves kyiv’s capabilities to strike Russian forces.
Washington also said it would provide Kyiv with an additional air defense battery and Patriot missiles and expand ongoing F-16 fighter jet training efforts to 18 more Ukrainian pilots.
Joe Biden also announced that he would organize a summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group next month in Germany, which should help coordinate the efforts of more than 50 countries.
“My message is clear: the United States will provide Ukraine with the support it needs to win this war”said the outgoing American president.
[Édité par Anna Martino]
