After meeting Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky spoke this Friday, September 27, with Donald Trump. As the American presidential election approached, the latter was particularly critical of the situation in Ukraine and the aid provided to kyiv. The Ukrainian president must therefore juggle diplomatic efforts and pragmatism, while the results of the vote across the Atlantic promise to be very close.
Could the two men have managed to bury the hatchet? Currently visiting the United States and after meeting Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Donald Trump this Friday, September 27. “As you know, he asked to meet me”the former American president then boasted to journalists.
A few days – even a few hours – before the meeting, the two politicians were very reluctant, to the point that the interview almost collapsed. For good reason, in an interview with New Yorker published on September 22, Volodymyr Zelensky was particularly critical, not only of the Republican candidate, but also of his running mate.
J.-D. Vance was indeed tried « trop radical » by the Ukrainian president, who “don’t take it seriously” his words. Now known for his provocative conservatism and – above all – for his multiple blunders in public, the Republican supports a plan to bring peace to Ukraine, essentially amounting to requiring kyiv to cede to the Russians the territories that the latter have invaded, such as the Crimea and Donbass. And this, without any compensation for the country.
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“I don’t take Vance’s comments seriously because if I did, America would be heading toward global conflict.”swept the Ukrainian president. Always at New Yorker, Volodymyr Zelensky also tried to calm the ardor of Donald Trump, the latter claiming for months that if he won the election, he would resolve the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. “in 24 hours”. “I have the feeling that Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war, even though he thinks he does”then mocked the Ukrainian head of state.
Within the Republican camp, the response was quick. “So a foreign leader who has received billions of dollars from American taxpayers comes to our country and has the gall to attack Republican presidential candidates? And he does it right after a pro-Ukrainian fanatic tried to assassinate my father? Ashamed ! »castigated one of the sons of the American billionaire, Donald Trump Jr, on the social network
A “transaction-based” relationship
Between the two men, relations quickly became strained. Their first exchange dates from July 2019. At that time, Volodymyr Zelensky, a former comedian new to politics, had just become Ukrainian president. And Donald Trump, in the White House for three years and under impeachment proceedings launched by the Democrats, calls him to ask him to investigate Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, then entangled in a dubious business in China and Ukraine.
And afterwards? “Volodymyr Zelensky, like Emmanuel Macron [qui a convié l’ancien président des États-Unis à l’Élysée en 2019] tried to build a personal relationship with Donald Trump, based on the transactional”underlines Ulrich Bounat, geopolitical analyst specializing in Central and Eastern Europe, while specifying that if the two politicians were not “not friends”, “they had found a good mode of operation”.
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But as the American presidential election approaches on November 5, Donald Trump’s speech towards Ukraine has become much more provocative and aggressive. In short, much more “Trumpian”. Remember that following the announcement of a new envelope of $375 million in American military aid to support the kyiv war effort, the Republican candidate was particularly acerbic towards the leader of the Ukrainian state. “Every time he came to our country, he left with 60 billion dollars, I think he is the best salesman on the planet”he quipped during a campaign meeting on September 25.
The American billionaire also never stops bragging about a “precise plan” – to which he never provided any details – to put an end to the conflict. “With Donald Trump, we plunge into the unknown”says Ulrich Bounat, who insists on the character “unpredictable” of the former president of the United States.
Number one support in kyiv
However, according to geopolitical analyst Louis Duclos, pragmatism remains in order: “We are in an electoral context and it is Donald Trump’s habit to come out with shocking phrases to impress opinion. On the other hand, even in the event of victory, he will not be the only one to decide and will not be able to make decisions that would go against the interests of the United States. » Like a ceasefire favorable to the Kremlin, for example.
In any case, Volodymyr Zelensky has an interest in showing diplomacy towards both the Democratic and Republican camps, as the polls remain tight and unpredictable. “The behavior of the Ukrainian president is dictated by the need to secure his country”notes Louis Duclos. And this requires maintaining aid from the United States.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of the country in February 2022, the country has been kyiv’s main support, with a total of 75.1 billion euros in aid, both military, financial and humanitarian. In comparison, for the European Union, this figure is 39.4 billion, and 4.4 billion for France, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
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With Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, the continuity of this aid seems obvious, as her speeches are in line with the policy pursued until then by Joe Biden. “It is clear that the Ukrainian president would benefit more from a Democratic victory because we know what to expect”says Ulrich Bounat.
Given his recent travels, Volodymyr Zelensky already seems to have chosen his side. Barely arriving on American soil, on September 22, he visited an arms factory in Pennsylvania. At his side, Democratic officials… but not a shadow of a Republican. A choice which did not fail to provoke a reaction in the Donald Trump camp, the President of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson denouncing a “electoral interference” intended for “help the democrats”. The latter even asked the Ukrainian head of state to “fire your ambassador”at the origin of this protocol error. Atmosphere.
