Donald Trump sharply criticized Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, accusing the Ukrainian president of “refusing to make a deal” with Russia.
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“We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal, Zelensky,” the Republican presidential candidate denounced at a campaign rally.
“Every time he came to our country, he left with $60 billion, I think he’s the best salesman on the planet,” the former president joked in North Carolina.
A meeting between Donald Trump, who is highly critical of the amounts spent by Washington on Kyiv, and the Ukrainian leader had been discussed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
But this interview is likely to be cancelled according to the American press.
Interview cancelled?
This one assures that Donald Trump did not appreciate an interview given by Volodymyr Zelensky to the magazine The New Yorker – in which the Ukrainian leader claims that the Republican candidate “doesn’t really know how to stop this war.”
The septuagenarian in fact stated at the beginning of September that he had a “precise plan” to end the war in Ukraine, but that he would not reveal it in order to maintain the “surprise” effect.
“If I win, as president-elect, I will make sure that a deal gets done, that’s guaranteed,” the Republican candidate for the White House said.
Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that he would resolve the war between Russia and Ukraine “in 24 hours” – without ever explaining how.
In recent months, he has been particularly critical of the billions of dollars spent by the United States to support Kyiv in its war against Moscow, urging Europe to “get moving.”
Asked by AFP, Donald Trump’s team refused to confirm whether his interview with Volodymyr Zelensky had been cancelled.
“Campaign Event”
The Ukrainian president will, however, be in Washington on Thursday where he will meet his counterpart Joe Biden at the White House.
Volodymyr Zelensky will also visit Capitol Hill for meetings with several senior parliamentarians, including from the Senate.
However, he will not speak with the Republican leader of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, who had “saved” an aid plan for Ukraine in the spring.
The Republican leader, subjected to strong pressure in his chamber from elected officials close to Donald Trump, claimed to be unable to speak.
The Louisiana elected official also sharply criticized Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to a weapons factory in Pennsylvania on Sunday.
This state is one of the most contested in the American presidential election and the Republican leader accused the Ukrainian leader’s team of having, with this trip, organized a “campaign event” for the Democrats.
For these reasons, he demanded that the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States be dismissed.
