Zelenskiy Congratulates Trump In Call, Agrees To 'Personal Meeting'
According to RFE/RL, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he spoke with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and agreed to a face-to-face meeting to discuss steps to a lasting peace with Russia.
Zelenskiy spoke with Trump on July 19, a day after the former U.S. president and again Republican candidate accepted his party’s nomination and vowed to end the war in Ukraine if elected.
“I spoke with Donald Trump to congratulate him on the Republican nomination and condemn the shocking assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. I wished him strength and absolute safety in the future,” Zelenskiy said in a post on X, referring to the July 13 shooting at a Trump rally that slightly injured the candidate.
Zelenskiy said he agreed with Trump “to discuss at a personal meeting what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting” without giving any details on when and where such a meeting would take place.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social on July 19 that he had a “very good call” with Zelenskiy in which they discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Trump vowed to “bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives” through negotiations.
"Both sides will be able to come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves a path forward to prosperity," Trump said.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has killed tens of thousands on both sides, is now in its 29th month with no end in sight. Russia currently occupies about 17 percent of Ukraine.
Zelenskiy’s call comes as worries grow in Kyiv and other European capitals about another four years of Trump in the White House. The Republican’s chances of winning the November 2024 election improved following 81-year-old incumbent President Joe Biden’s poor performance in a debate last month that raised questions about his physical and mental state.
Trump has expressed admiration for authoritarian Russian President Vladimir Putin, called the Kremlin leader’s preinvasion tactics “genius,” and has repeatedly criticized NATO’s European allies for not spending more on collective defense.
Republican lawmakers in the House of Representative who are closely aligned with Trump blocked Biden's $61 billion aid package for Ukraine for months, leaving Ukraine’s force short on ammunition and air defense. Ukraine’s ammunition hunger contributed to Russian territorial gains this year, experts have said.
Trump has not made his opinion on future support to Ukraine clear, though this week he picked Senator J.D. Vance (Republican-Ohio), an outspoken opponent of aid to Kyiv, as his running mate. The 39-year-old senator has said the United States does not have the military capacity to support Taiwan, Israel, and Ukraine and should prioritize the first two.
During his 92-minute-long acceptance speech on July 18, Trump said he would usher in global peace and stability if elected. He previously said he would “settle” the Ukraine war, should he win the election, before even setting foot in the White House in January 2025.
