Donald Trump met with Volodymyr Zelenskyi despite a wave of criticism from Republicans about the Ukrainian president’s lobbying efforts during his visit to the United States.
The former American president was inconsistent in his intentions regarding communication with the Ukrainian president. As early as Wednesday, he sharply criticized the Ukrainian leader, accusing him of refusing to negotiate with Russia and claiming that Zelenskyi is “hurling” various accusations at him. At the same time, Johnson demanded the resignation of Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, who arranged for Zelensky to visit a weapons factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he was accompanied only by Democrats, despite Pennsylvania being a key issue state in the November election.
Ultimately, Trump agreed to the meeting after Zelensky wrote him a letter requesting a meeting to discuss Ukraine’s desire for a “just peace.” Let’s quote verbatim: “You know, I always treat everything related to you with great respect. I would very much like our meeting to take place as part of our efforts to end this war in a just way.”
Before that, Zelensky tried to appease Republicans, including Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, who reacted angrily to his attempts to enlist the support of Democrats in the fight against Russia.
So, the meeting took place, but were Trump and Zelensky able to hear each other? Given the tense background of their relationship, it would be futile to hope for an understanding.
Their relationship has been difficult since the Trump presidency. At one time, relations became complicated due to Trump’s attempts to involve Ukrainians in the investigation of Joe Biden, which became the subject of wide discussion in the American media. Trump, trying to use the situation to his advantage, actively promoted the idea that Biden and his son, Hunter, could be involved in corruption schemes in Ukraine, in particular, because of Hunter’s activities in the Burisma company, which was engaged in gas production.
Trump’s personal lawyer Giuliani has repeatedly called on the Ukrainian authorities to open an investigation into Biden, trying to prove that the latter abused his political position to protect his son. Trump supported these efforts, assuring that the information that Ukraine can provide is important for understanding corrupt practices in American politics.
As part of this campaign, Trump also emphasized the importance of investigating possible ties between Biden and Ukraine, trying to present it as a legitimate request for cooperation between the two states. He stated that the investigations could help not only him, but also Ukraine in the fight against corruption.
Such a position led to accusations of abuse of presidential power. The activities of Giuliani, who actively interacted with Ukrainian officials, caused concern among high-ranking officials in the United States, who believed that this could be an attempt to pressure Ukraine. As the situation became increasingly tense, it became clear that the interaction between Trump and Zelensky could have serious political consequences, both for Ukraine and for the United States.
We will also remind that the House of Representatives announced the impeachment of Trump in 2019 after the details of his phone call with the request of Zelensky to find a compromise for Joe Biden and his son Hunter appeared.
Since the possibility of Trump’s return to power has become quite realistic, Zelensky has been cautious about contacts with Trump, and even more so about his criticism.
As a result, the Trump-Zelensky relationship came under the scrutiny of the world community, becoming a symbol of complex and ambiguous geopolitical games.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Trump has repeatedly complained about US funding to Ukraine and claimed he would quickly end the war between the two sides. In turn, Zelenskyi said that Trump does not know how to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“I am looking forward to this meeting, – Trump said. Let’s see – I really think that I do not agree with him, but I will say this: I believe that I will be able to come to an agreement with President Putin and with President Zelensky quite quickly.”
Trump and Zelensky talk about ending the war. However, behind the similarity of their rhetoric are different intentions. Zelensky talks about the end of the war through victory, which he puts entirely in dependence on the armed support of allies. Instead, when Trump talks about peace, he means something completely different. He is accused of forcing Ukraine to surrender to Russia, which will also end the war. The former American president denies this accusation:
“It’s not surrender… my strategy is to stay alive.” he said, adding that his message to Zelenskyi would be as follows: “We need peace. We need to stop the death and destruction”. Trump also emphasizes that it is important to establish communication between all parties to the conflict in order to find ways to a peaceful settlement.
On the other hand, Zelenskyi, aware of the importance of support from the US, tried to emphasize that Ukraine is ready for negotiations, but only on the condition that they take place on the basis of respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. He noted that Ukraine needs not just support, but also active participation in the search for ways to peace, as the conflict causes enormous suffering to ordinary people.
On the eve of the publication meeting The Washington Post reminded that it is located “inside Donald Trump’s secret long-term plan to end the war in Ukraine”. It is about ending the war in Ukraine due to the loss of territories, in particular Crimea and Donbas.
It is known that some Trump supporters tried to convince him to avoid such a scenario.
“I spent all my efforts on discussing Ukraine with Trump, — noted Senator Lindsey Graham, who used to criticize Trump but has now become his ally. He must pay for it. He can’t win in this situation.” Graham added, speaking of Putin.
The first remarks during the meeting showed that each of the participants adheres to his opinion.
Trump said that if elected, he is ready to work with Democrats to end the war in Ukraine. He expressed hope that a “good” solution would be found for both Ukraine and the Russian Federation even before the inauguration.
Zelenskyi said that they have “the general view is that the war must end, Putin cannot win, and Ukraine must win.” The President of Ukraine said that he wants to discuss his “victory plan” with Trump. Trump emphasized that Zelensky “goes through incredible trials”. “We’ll discuss it and see what we can come up with.” – added the Republican.
Trump also stated that he has good relations with both Zelensky and Putin. “I hope that we have a better relationship with you”, – commented Zelensky.
Meanwhile, Zelensky’s victory plan, dependent on armed support, is not gaining adequate support in the United States.
The $8 billion aid package announced by the White House consists of $2.4 billion in new aid and $5.6 billion already allocated to Ukraine, and includes the first promise of “joint long-range weapons,” or bombs that can be used to long-range strikes.
But the package falls far short of the needs that Zelensky presented to Biden. The US has refused to comply with Kiev’s numerous requests to use long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia, a key element of its plan.
