Ukrainian President Zelenskyj has congratulated US presidential candidate Trump on his nomination. Trump, in turn, has promised once again that he wants to end the war in Ukraine immediately after an election victory. He does not reveal how.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to the US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on the phone and congratulated him on his nomination. Zelensky announced this on the social media platform X. During the conversation, he also condemned the “shocking assassination attempt in Pennsylvania” on Trump and wished him strength, Zelensky wrote. They also agreed to meet in person.
Ukraine will always be grateful to the United States for its “help in strengthening our ability to resist Russian terror,” Zelensky wrote.
Trump: Will end the war
Trump, in turn, said he had told Zelensky that he would end the war in Ukraine if he returned to the White House: “I am grateful to President Zelensky for reaching out to me because as the next President of the United States, I will bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives and destroyed countless innocent families,” Trump said on his online network Truth Social.
Trump had already announced on Thursday in a speech at the Republican Party Convention in which he formally accepted his nomination as presidential candidate that he would end wars if he returned to the White House: “I will end every single international crisis that the current administration has caused, including the horrific war with Russia and Ukraine,” he said.
Volodymyr Zelensky and then-US President Donald Trump at a meeting in New York in September 2019.
Trump questions arms aid
The former president has also left open how exactly Trump intends to end the war. A Trump victory in the US presidential election in November could at least call into question Washington's support for Ukraine. Trump and his newly nominated vice-candidate JD Vance had repeatedly criticized US arms aid to Ukraine during the election campaign.
Trump's announcements of an imminent end to the war could also mean that Kiev would be forced to negotiate with Moscow from a weakened position.
