Former President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he will be meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky amid renewed speculation about the state of their relationship. The meeting is scheduled to take place on Friday morning at around 9:45 am in Trump Tower, where Trump addressed reporters on the matter.
The announcement comes one day after President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with President Zelensky in Washington, D.C., a move that has been criticized by some Republican leaders for its timing as it coincided with a visit by the Ukrainian president to Pennsylvania, a key swing state, alongside Democratic governor and Harris surrogate Josh Shapiro over the weekend.
During his wide-ranging news conference, Trump reiterated his campaign pledge of wanting to “save lives” in Ukraine by making a peace deal to end the 31-month-old war with Russia. However, he did not reveal any specific details about what such an agreement might look like, stating that he would not disclose the plan until he was back in office. Trump has previously claimed that he would end the war before he takes up residence at the White House, between the Nov. 5 election and the Jan. 20 inauguration.
The Republican nominee took a somber tone when describing the atrocities being committed by Russia in Ukraine. When you look at those cities, they’re all knocked down, those beautiful, golden domes, they’re shattered and lying on their side never to be replaced again,” he said.
You can’t ever replace that.” Trump continued, describing the devastation to the country’s heritage and the plight of its people who are losing soldiers in the ongoing conflict.
Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking alongside Zelensky earlier, vowed to continue supporting Ukraine and accused Trump of wanting to cede land to Russia in an effective surrender by Kyiv.
In response, Trump emphasized his desire to save lives in Ukraine, stating that he did not want the conflict to escalate into a larger global crisis. When asked whether he would advise Ukraine to cede land to Russia in negotiations, Trump declined to commit either way, saying simply, “we’ll see what happens.
