Former President Donald Trump recently hosted a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which the Republican Presidential candidate vowed to work with Ukraine and Russia if he reassumes power later this year. Trump has continually pledged to quickly end the war in Ukraine if he retakes the White House, seeking to find a solution between the eastern European nations and prevent the conflict from further escalating.
However, Zelenskyy has come under fire for comments he made following the first meeting he has held with the former president in over four years. The Ukrainian leader has faced notable backlash regarding comments he has made toward Trump, where Zelenskyy has expressed his doubt about the former president’s claims about ending the war.
“My feeling is that Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how,” Zelenskyy said in comments given to the New Yorker earlier this week. “With this war, oftentimes, the deeper you look at it the less you understand. I’ve seen many leaders who were convinced they knew how to end it tomorrow, and as they waded deeper into it, they realized it’s not that simple.”
Zelenskyy further expressed skepticism toward Trump’s running mate, Ohio senator JD Vance, claiming, “He is too radical.” In other comments, Zelenskyy has made it clear that he has involved himself in the U.S. political landscape ahead of the election, as the outcome will have drastic implications for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
Speaking to Fox News last week, Zelensky said, “We understand that even in any kind of future negotiations, Ukraine has to be strong. That’s what it’s about,” he said. The Ukrainian president further noted that he has spoken to a variety of the highest ranking political figures and entities in the U.S. making this case. “We spoke with Biden, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump and the Congress of the United States,” he said.
“Ukraine, during the war in Ukraine before the full-scale invasion — two different countries. So without this experience, you can’t really understand how to stop [Russian President Vladimir Putin],” Zelenskyy added. “And that’s what I wanted to share to president . . . and the price of this tragedy of bloody invasion of Putin.”
Addressing comments Trump made during the presidential debate last month that the had maintained a good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his desire to end the war in Ukraine, Fox News host Griff Jenkins asked Zelenskyy if this was concerning to him. “Trump has relations and had relations when he was the president, during his term” and maintains “relations with a lot of countries and a lot of UN leaders,” Zelenskyy replied.
Trump said last week, “We have a very good relationship. I also have a very good relationship with President Putin and you know, I think if we win we’re going to get it resolved very quickly.” He added, “We can work out something that’s good for both sides, it’s time. And by the way, the president wants to get something done, he doesn’t want to do this.”
Watch Trump and Zelenksy below:
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.
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