During a recent meeting in New York with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump affirmed that “this war should never have happened” and that he would work to resolve it, without however specifying the means by which he intended achieve it. He called the conflict a “complex puzzle” and called for a “fair deal for everyone.”
Donald Trump pledged on Friday to “resolve” the conflict in Ukraine in the event of victory in the American presidential election in November, following a very delicate interview with Volodymyr Zelensky. Before their interview, Donald Trump highlighted his “very good relationship” with the Ukrainian president, while also recalling his links with Vladimir Putin. “I hope we have better relations,” responded the Ukrainian president, visibly embarrassed. Before assuring that he and Donald Trump shared the same objective: “ending the war.”
“Every time he comes to our country, he leaves with 60 billion dollars”
The former President of the United States did not hesitate to criticize the large sums allocated by Washington to support kyiv, ironizing that Zelensky would be the “best salesman on the planet” for his ability to obtain financing during his visits. “Every time he comes to our country, he leaves with 60 billion dollars,” he quipped.
The meeting between the two men is even more historically charged, given that Trump was impeached in 2019 for trying to force Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden’s son. This liability added a layer of complexity to the relationship between the two leaders.
“Proposals of capitulation”
This meeting comes the day after a visit to Washington by the Ukrainian president, where he spoke with Joe Biden and his vice-president Kamala Harris, after a visit to the American Congress. Joe Biden expressed his unwavering support, while Kamala Harris warned against surrender proposals that would jeopardize Ukrainian sovereignty. “There are people in my country who would like to force Ukraine to abandon large portions of its sovereign territory, (…) these are proposals for capitulation, which is dangerous and irresponsible,” she said. added in an allusion to his Republican rival Donald Trump.
Moscow, whose troops have been making progress in recent months against kyiv’s forces, claimed Thursday the capture of Ukraïnsk, a town in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. The conquest of Donbass, the Ukrainian industrial basin which includes the Donetsk region, is President Putin’s “number one priority”.
