On September 25, 2019, US President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
He loves him, doesn’t he love him?
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump continues to keep people guessing about his stance on Ukraine and his views on the country’s wartime leader, President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In an interview in which Trump hyped up Cutting Ukraine’s vital war funding.
The Republican nominee also described Zelensky as “extremely honorable” in his handling of the phone calls that led to Trump’s first impeachment in 2019.
period now infamous phone conversation In July 2019, Trump told the newly elected Zelensky – then a political novice – that he wanted him to “do us a favor” and help investigate Trump’s Democratic political rival Joe Biden and his son Henry. Especially, they have business dealings in Ukraine.
Trump was impeached in late 2019 after the call sparked accusations that he improperly sought help from Ukraine to boost his re-election chances in 2020. However, he was acquitted after a two-week Senate trial in early 2020 and has strongly denied any wrongdoing.
At the time, Zelensky said the call with Trump did not involve blackmail.
On July 23, 2019, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.
Hennadi Minchenko | Future Publishing | Getty Images
On Monday, Trump mentioned the incident in an interview with Musk on the social media platform I got the call and he said it was a perfect call, a great call.
Trump added, “He could have grandstanding and said, ‘Oh, he’s a threat.'” (But) he said, no, it was a very good call.
“Salesman” Zelensky
The praise for Zelenskyy is a far cry from earlier this year, when Trump described the president as “perhaps the greatest salesman of any politician ever” and hinted at Ukraine’s request for a U.S. military aid package and Acceptance is based on Zelensky’s dexterity.
“I think Zelensky is probably the greatest salesman of any politician ever,” Trump said in June, describing the Green New Deal as a “scam,” directly describing Zelensky.
“Every time he comes to our country, he leaves with $60 billion,” the former White House leader said of the Ukrainian president. It refers to a major U.S. aid package that was debated between Republicans and Democrats and finally reached in April.
Trump corrected himself, MSNBC reported at the timesaid he “liked” Zelensky — and then returned to his criticism of the Ukrainian leader.
“(Zelensky) just left four days ago with $60 billion, and he came home and announced that he needed another $60 billion. It’s never over. It’s never over,” Trump said.
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Trump speaks at a rally at Brick Breeden Arena at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana on August 9, 2024.
Michael Sciaglo | Getty Images News | Getty Images
When it came to the war in Ukraine, Trump concluded that he would “solve” the crisis during his presidential term. “It has to be stopped,” he said.
Trump’s ambivalence about the merits of continued support for Ukraine has come into focus in recent months, especially as voter polls suggested he might win re-election to the White House.
Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris has a slight lead over Trump in several battleground states, According to the latest New York Times/Siena College poll from early August – However, this shows that the electoral competition is open.
another phone call
With the US presidential race closely watched, Ukraine must walk a fine line between its current Democratic base and a potential Trump presidency, with US financial and military aid largely enabling Kyiv to continue its campaign from February 2022 War with Russia—possibly reduced or new conditions attached.
Ukrainian President Zelensky convened a coordination meeting on the security situation and state border protection. Representatives of the military command, the State Border Service, and the heads of the military administrations in Volyn, Zhitomyr, Rivne, Kiev and Ukraine attended the meeting. July 30, 2018, Chernihiv region, Volyn region, Ukraine.
Ukraine Presidency | Anadolu | Getty Images
After winning the Republican nomination in July, Trump said he spoke with Zelensky again and had a “very good” conversation.
Trump said in his post: “I thank President Zelensky for reaching out because as your next President of the United States, I will bring peace to the world and end this crisis that has claimed so many lives and destroyed countless innocent families. war. truth society.
“Both sides will be able to come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves the way for prosperity,” he said. Trump has so far not revealed how he will end the war between Russia and Ukraine, raising concerns that he and his team could would force Kiev to recognize the territory.
Zelensky said on X At the time, he and Trump agreed to “discuss in personal meetings what steps can be taken to make peace fair and truly lasting.”
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