Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky held high-stakes talks on Friday, September 27, following a series of attacks by the White House hopeful on the Ukrainian president, as the looming US election raises questions over long-term US support for its ally Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Foreign policy hawks have voiced fears that a second Trump administration would spell disaster for Ukraine's defense, as the Republican has repeatedly defended Russia's President Vladimir Putin while voicing skepticism over US funding for Kyiv.
Zelensky had met with Trump's electoral rival Kamala Harris, as well as President Joe Biden, on Thursday, and both pledged their support for Kyiv in its US-funded defense against Putin's invasion.
Trump – who this week accused Zelensky of refusing to "make a deal" to end the conflict – vowed to bring peace if he wins a second term in office, as the two men addressed reporters after the tete-a-tete at Trump Tower, in New York. "It's a shame, but this is a war that should have never happened and we'll get it solved," said the Republican White House candidate, at Trump Tower. "It is a complicated puzzle. Too many people dead. Too many beautiful cities."
Before the meeting – which lasted less than an hour – Trump had hailed his alliance with Zelensky – but added: "I also have a very good relationship – as you know – with President Putin."
"I think we have common view that the war in Ukraine has to be stopped, and Putin can't win, and Ukraine has to prevail," Zelensky added.
The meeting initially looked like it would be scrapped after Zelensky told the New Yorker magazine in an interview that Trump "doesn't really know how to stop the war" and that his running mate J.D. Vance is "too radical." The interview was published amid Republican outcry over the Ukrainian leader's trip to Pennsylvania with Democratic politicians to thank US workers for manufacturing ammunition that is helping Ukraine's war effort against Russia.
Trump, who had refused to say whether he wants Ukraine to defeat Russia during his debate with Harris earlier this month, had hit back at Zelensky at a campaign rally in North Carolina on Wednesday, berating him as "a man who refuses to make a deal" for peace.
Zelensky was in New York this week for the UN General Assembly, and has been looking to shore up support for his country's war effort as it struggles on the battlefield in the third year of Moscow's invasion. The Ukrainian leader presented a so-called "victory" plan to Biden and Harris at the White House on Thursday, with Biden announcing a new military aid package worth nearly $8 billion for Kyiv.
Standing with Zelensky at her side, Harris did not mention Trump by name but said there were "some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory."
The row with Trump has underscored how November's US election could upend the support that Ukraine receives from its biggest backer. Trump has echoed many of Putin's talking points, saying at a rally earlier this week that Ukraine could not beat Russia, highlighting its 1812 defeat of Napoleon but ignoring more recent military defeats. House Republicans have launched investigations into Zelensky's Pennsylvania trip, suggesting it amounted to election interference, and calling for the Ukrainian ambassador in Washington to be fired.
When Trump was president, he had asked Zelensky for potentially damaging political material on Biden ahead of the 2020 election while withholding vital military aid that had already been approved by Congress – leading to the first of his two impeachments. However, the Republican had maintained good relations with Zelensky, pleased that the Ukrainian defended him over his conduct. Trump spent much of the impromptu news conference reminding reporters of Zelensky's support.