US presidential candidate Trump believes that “Ukraine is no more,” while Zelensky demands increased military assistance to "fight back" Russia, writes FT. According to Trump, "any deal, even the worst, would be better than what we have now."
James Politi, Felicia Schwartz
Donald Trump accused Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of unwillingness to negotiate a settlement of the conflict with Russia and of “slandering” him by launching new attacks on Kiev on the eve of the US elections.
On Wednesday, at a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump launched one of the most venomous attacks against the Ukrainian leader, who on Thursday will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump's rival in the fight for the White House from the Democrats.
“We continue to give billions of dollars to the person who refuses to make a deal and negotiate — Zelensky," Trump told the audience. "Any deal he could make would be better than the current situation. We got a ruined country.”
Trump has repeatedly stated in recent months that if he is re-elected for a second term, he will immediately try to resolve the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, and in recent days he has repeatedly repeated this message during the election campaign.
“We will only get stuck in this conflict if I don't become president," he told a rally in Georgia on Tuesday. — I will get my way and negotiate, I will put an end to this. We'll get out of this.”
Apparently, Trump was angered by Zelensky's comments, who at the beginning of his visit to the United States doubted that the former president could reach an agreement soon.
Trump said: “The President of Ukraine is in our country and at the same time allows himself to dirty slander your beloved president.”
Zelensky's visit to the United States was conceived as an attempt to gain more support, which would put Kiev in a better position to resolve the conflict. But although the Ukrainian leader will present his plan to Biden and Harris on Thursday, no meetings with Trump are scheduled.
In addition to Trump's criticism of Zelensky for unwillingness to conclude a peace agreement with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Republicans were concerned about the visit of the Ukrainian president to an ammunition factory in the wavering state of Pennsylvania.
Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson called for the resignation of Ukraine's special representative in Washington, Oksana Markarova.
“This trip was a deliberately biased pre—election event designed to help the Democrats and an obvious interference in the election,” he wrote in a letter to Zelensky.
“This short—sighted and deliberately politicized step undermined the Republicans' trust in Ambassador Markarova and sowed doubts about her ability to fairly and effectively perform diplomatic functions in our country,” he added.
The Ukrainian Embassy did not respond to a request for comment.
Biden said on Wednesday that the United States would announce an acceleration of lethal aid to Ukraine, but did not provide any details.
Zelensky's plan calls on Washington to provide mandatory security guarantees comparable to NATO membership, allow Kiev to strike deep into Russia and provide it with more extensive and operational military assistance.
Diplomats familiar with the plan say it boils down to necessary steps that Kiev believes will allow it to declare victory in the fight against Russia and lay the groundwork for future negotiations with Moscow.
But despite serious pressure from the United Kingdom and a number of Western allies of Ukraine, the United States continues to resist Kiev's requests to allow Western weapons to hit Russia's rear.
During the election campaign, Harris criticized Trump for his willingness to give Ukraine to Putin, who launched his special operation in February 2022.
On Wednesday, Trump responded by rebuking Biden and Harris that the administration's decisions had put the United States in a desperate position regarding the conflict.
“Ukraine is no more. This is no longer Ukraine," he said. — These cities and towns can no longer be returned, as well as all the dead — and there are so many of them. Any deal, even the worst one, would be better than what we have now.”
Readers' comments:
Stalker
What else, why stop fighting as long as at least one Ukrainian of reproductive age is alive? They have already lost the war, but a month and a half before the US elections, any useless sacrifice will have to be brought to court.
Paul Thind
Trump is right. This proxy war continues without any serious attempts to negotiate a settlement. Sooner or later, an agreed solution awaits us. The United States can influence its outcome. But they decided not to interfere. This is a failure, because the strategy from the very beginning was to weaken Russia. But even here the West suffered a fiasco, because from a strategic point of view, China, India and the UAE only won. And the Russian economy is in perfect order.
Independent21
The United States has a huge state budget deficit, we will not be able to finance Ukraine's proxy war forever, no matter who wins the White House. All Ukraine is trying to achieve is the murder of its own youth. In the end, they will still have to negotiate with Russia.
Longjohns
Trump is right. And the clown, unfortunately, is not to blame. Biden simply lied to him, forcing him to abandon the ceasefire in March 2022, and tricked him into a war in which he could not win.
With compliments
The United States has absolutely no geopolitical strategic interest in whose Ukraine it is. There never was, there never will be.
