Former U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Monday (September 23rd) that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hopes the Democratic Party will win the 2024 U.S. election. In this election, Trump will face Democratic candidate and current Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris.
The remarks of this Republican presidential candidate during his campaign sharply contrast with the approach taken by some of his allies, who believe Ukraine would welcome Trump’s return because, in their view, only Trump has the sharp mind to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin and end Moscow’s war on Ukraine.
Speaking at a rally in western Pennsylvania, Trump said, “I think Zelenskiy is the greatest salesman in history, as he manages to take away $60 billion every time he comes to this country. He really wants them [Democrats] to win this election, but I will take a different approach. I will work hard to promote peace.”
Harris’s campaign team criticized Trump in an email statement for never expressing a desire for Ukraine to win the war.
Morgan Finkelstein, the national security spokesperson for Harris’s campaign team, stated, “Vice President Harris understands that if the U.S. abandons Ukraine, Putin will sit in Kyiv, staring down other European countries and our NATO allies.”
Trump did not reveal the details of his peace plan, only reiterating that if he wins the election on November 5th, he will call Putin and Zelenskiy, urging them to reach an agreement.
Zelenskiy, who is currently in the U.S. attending the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, stated on Monday that decisive action by the U.S. now could accelerate the end of Russia’s war on Ukraine next year.
Although Trump suggested last week that he “might” meet with Zelenskiy during his visit to the U.S., sources close to the former president revealed that a meeting time has not been confirmed yet.
During the weekend, Zelenskiy visited a weapons factory in Pennsylvania with Harris’s ally, Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro, sparking anger among some of Trump’s supporters as the visit took place in a battleground state, seemingly with intent.
Eastern European Americans, including Ukrainian Americans and Polish Americans, have become highly sought-after voting groups in both parties’ campaigns, especially in Pennsylvania, which has a significant population of Polish and Ukrainian descent.
Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, Washington and its allies have provided billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine while also imposing multiple rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Trump has consistently portrayed U.S. aid to Ukraine as a waste of money and has refused to express hopes for Ukraine’s victory. Despite Trump and Zelenskiy having a phone call in July, they have not had a face-to-face conversation since Trump’s term from 2017-2021.
Zelenskiy previously stated that he cannot predict what actions Trump would take if he wins in November but expressed hope that the Republican would maintain U.S. military support for Ukraine.
During an interview with the BBC in July, Zelenskiy said that working with Trump would be “hard work, but we are both hardworking people.”
The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, millions of displaced persons, and severe destruction in Ukrainian towns and cities.
Putin has stated that only by Kyiv giving up large swathes of territory in eastern and southern Ukraine and relinquishing ambitions to join NATO can peace talks begin. Zelenskiy has repeatedly called for Russia to withdraw all troops and restore Ukraine’s borders post-Soviet breakup.
(*Translated from a report by Reuters)