NEW YORK (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived Friday for a gathering with Donald Trump as public tensions have been rising between the 2 over Ukraine’s protection towards Russia’s invasion.
“I think we have a common view that the war in Ukraine has to be stopped and Putin can’t win,” Zelenskyy mentioned referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
After arriving collectively at a convention room on Friday, Trump mentioned “the fact that we’re even together today is a very good sign.”
The go to is going down at Trump Tower in New York, a day after Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s Democratic opponent, met with the Ukrainian chief and expressed unwavering assist.
The assembly is very anticipated and comes as Election Day nears, with Trump and Harris taking sharply totally different positions on backing Ukraine within the third yr of its warfare with Russia.
Trump has in current days praised Russia’s historic navy victories and insisted the U.S. wants “to get out” and finish its involvement with Ukraine.
Friday’s assembly virtually wasn’t scheduled regardless of Zelenskyy’s workplace saying one thing had been deliberate throughout the Ukrainian chief’s go to to the U.N. Basic Meeting, throughout which he’s making his endgame pitch to allies.
In an interview with The New Yorker that was printed earlier this week, Zelenskyy implied Trump doesn’t perceive and oversimplifies the battle. The Ukrainian chief mentioned Trump’s working mate JD Vance was “too radical” and had primarily advocated for Ukraine to “make a sacrifice” by “giving up its territories.”
Trump ripped Zelenskyy and Ukraine on two separate events this week. Talking Wednesday in North Carolina, Trump referred to Ukraine as “demolished” and its individuals as “dead.”
“Any deal — the worst deal — would’ve been better than what we have now,” Trump mentioned. “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.”
In the meantime, Harris on Thursday stood alongside Zelenskyy and mentioned Trump’s push for Ukraine to shortly minimize a deal to finish the warfare have been “not proposals for peace,” however “proposals for surrender.” Trump on Thursday mentioned he was not advocating for a give up.
Whereas Trump and Vance have been essential of U.S. backing for Ukraine, different Republican allies of the previous president have backed Kyiv’s protection towards Moscow’s invasion and argue supporting Ukraine is in America’s curiosity.
One ally of each Ukraine and Trump is Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. At a closed-door assembly Zelenskyy had with senators on Capitol Hill, additionally on Thursday, Graham stood up and mentioned he had been speaking to Trump in regards to the Ukrainian president, based on an individual acquainted with the scenario and granted anonymity to debate the non-public assembly.
Graham informed these within the room he would speak to Zelenskyy privately about his conversations with Trump, the individual mentioned. Because the assembly got here to an in depth, Graham pulled Zelenskyy apart and the 2 had a personal dialog.
Graham is near the previous president, regardless of an on-again-off-again relationship, and has typically performed a job as an middleman on numerous topics. He didn’t reply to a message searching for remark Thursday.
Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Mascaro from Washington.
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