Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky are set to meet on Friday in what could be a tense encounter, following a series of sharp criticisms from Trump regarding Zelensky’s management of the ongoing conflict with Russia.
Zelensky met with Trump’s rival in the upcoming U.S. election, Kamala Harris, and President Joe Biden the day before.
Both Harris and Biden reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ukraine’s war effort, which has primarily been financed by the United States.
This week, Trump accused Zelensky of refusing to negotiate a resolution to the conflict, stating that their meeting will take place at 9:45 a.m. (1345 GMT) at Trump Tower in New York.
Initial reports had suggested that the meeting might be canceled after Trump took offense to Zelensky’s remarks in The New Yorker, where he claimed that the Republican “doesn’t really know how to stop the war.”
In response, Trump lashed out during a rally in North Carolina, saying, “We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal, Zelensky.”
Zelensky is currently in the U.S. for the United Nations General Assembly, aiming to bolster support for Ukraine’s war efforts as the country faces ongoing challenges in the third year of Russia’s invasion.
On Thursday, he presented a “victory” plan to Biden and Harris at the White House, where Biden announced a new military aid package totaling nearly $8 billion for Kyiv.
Standing alongside Zelensky, Harris did not name Trump but indicated that “some in my country would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory.”
Biden assured Zelensky in a separate meeting that “Russia will not prevail” in the conflict that began in February 2022. Zelensky, dressed in his signature military-style attire, expressed gratitude, saying, “We deeply appreciate that Ukraine and America have stood side by side.”
However, the visit has been overshadowed by the dispute with Trump, highlighting the potential impact of the upcoming U.S. election on Ukraine’s crucial support.
Trump has long criticized the substantial U.S. aid to Ukraine and has echoed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s sentiments, stating at a rally this week that Ukraine cannot win because Russia has “defeated Hitler and Napoleon.”
Republicans have also expressed outrage over Zelensky’s visit to an arms factory in Biden’s hometown in Pennsylvania, accusing the Ukrainian ambassador of staging a partisan political event and calling for her dismissal.
During his presidency, Trump infamously sought damaging information about Biden from Zelensky in the lead-up to the 2020 election, an act that contributed to his first impeachment.
(AFP)
