US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced Friday that he had spoken by telephone with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, pledging to end the European country’s war with Russia.
“I appreciate President Zelensky for reaching out because I, as your next President of the United States, will bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families,” Trump stated in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“Both sides will be able to come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves a path forward to prosperity,” he added.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military assistance to Kyiv. However, a Trump victory in the upcoming November election would put Washington’s continued support in question.
Zelensky confirmed the call, during which he congratulated Trump on formally becoming the Republican Party’s presidential nominee and wished the 78-year-old well after an attempt on his life a week ago.
“We agreed with President Trump to discuss at a personal meeting what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting,” Zelensky said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “I noted the vital bipartisan and bicameral American support for protecting our nation’s freedom and independence.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed he would end the war quickly but has not provided details on how he would achieve this. Last week, the ex-president hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who recently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, at his Florida estate. Trump’s frequent praise for Putin and reluctance to criticize the Russian invasion have raised concerns among Ukraine’s allies that he might force the country into accepting a partial defeat.
Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, leads the isolationist wing of congressional Republicans, arguing that the United States should stop aiding Ukraine. Vance was a fierce opponent of the approval of $61 billion in new military aid for Ukraine, which was stalled by Republican lawmakers for months earlier this year—a period during which Russia made battlefield gains.
Speaking at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday, Trump said he could “stop wars with a telephone call” and vowed to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as other international crises he attributed to the current administration.
Zelensky has expressed a willingness to work with Trump if he wins the White House, stating earlier this week that he is not worried about the potential change in leadership. However, he acknowledged that the US election cycle’s “turbulence” is having a “big impact” on Ukraine.
Trump’s relationship with Zelensky dates back to his time in the White House. In 2019, Trump was impeached for withholding military aid to Ukraine while pressuring Zelensky to help him find damaging information on his election rival Joe Biden—a race Trump lost in 2020.
Source: AFP
