Trump and Zelenskyy meet in New York amid rising questions about U.S. support for Ukraine

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy meets with former President Trump amid tensions over Ukraine’s defense against Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived on Friday (September 27, 2024) for a meeting with former American President Donald Trump as public tensions have been rising between the two over Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion.

“I think we have a common view that the war in Ukraine has to be stopped and Putin can’t win,” Mr. Zelenskyy said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

After arriving together at a conference room on Friday (September 27, 2024), Mr. Trump said, “The fact that we’re even together today is a very good sign.”

The visit is taking place at Trump Tower in New York, a day after Vice President Kamala Harris, Mr. Trump’s Democratic opponent, met with the Ukrainian leader and expressed unwavering support.

The meeting is highly anticipated and comes as Election Day nears, with Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris taking sharply different positions on backing Ukraine in the third year of its war with Russia.

Mr. Trump has in recent days praised Russia’s historic military victories and insisted the U.S. needs “to get out” and end its involvement with Ukraine.

Friday's (September 27, 2024) meeting almost wasn't scheduled despite Mr. Zelenskyy’s office saying something had been planned during the Ukrainian leader’s visit to the U.N. General Assembly, during which he is making his endgame pitch to allies.

In an interview with The New Yorker that was published earlier this week, Mr. Zelenskyy implied Mr. Trump does not understand and oversimplifies the conflict. The Ukrainian leader said Mr. Trump's running mate JD Vance was “too radical” and had essentially advocated for Ukraine to “make a sacrifice” by “giving up its territories.”

Mr. Trump ripped Mr. Zelenskyy and Ukraine on two separate occasions this week. Speaking Wednesday (September 25, 2024) in North Carolina, Mr. Trump referred to Ukraine as “demolished” and its people as “dead.”

“Any deal — the worst deal — would’ve been better than what we have now,” Mr. Trump said. “If they made a bad deal, it would’ve been much better. They would’ve given up a little bit, and everybody would be living, and every building would be built, and every tower would be aging for another 2,000 years.”

Meanwhile, Ms. Harris on Thursday (September 26, 2024) stood alongside Mr. Zelenskyy and said Mr. Trump's push for Ukraine to quickly cut a deal to end the war were “not proposals for peace,” but “proposals for surrender.” Mr. Trump on Thursday (September 26, 2024) said he was not advocating for a surrender.

While Mr. Trump and Vance have been critical of U.S. backing for Ukraine, other Republican allies of the former president have backed Kyiv's defense against Moscow's invasion and argue supporting Ukraine is in America's interest.

One ally of both Ukraine and Mr. Trump is Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. At a closed-door meeting Mr. Zelenskyy had with senators on Capitol Hill, also on Thursday (September 26, 2024), Mr. Graham stood up and said he had been talking to Mr. Trump about the Ukrainian president, according to a person familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss the private meeting.

Mr. Graham told those in the room he would talk to Mr. Zelenskyy privately about his conversations with Mr. Trump, the person said. As the meeting came to a close, Mr. Graham pulled Mr. Zelenskyy aside, and the two had a private conversation.

Mr. Graham is close to the former president, despite an on-again, off-again relationship, and has often played a role as an intermediary on various subjects. He did not respond to a message seeking comment Thursday (September 26, 2024).

Published - September 27, 2024 08:31 pm IST