Donald Trump stated on Monday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy prefers the Democrats to triumph in the 2024 US election, where the former president is pitted against Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee. The Republican presidential candidate's remarks on the campaign trail diverge from the stance taken by some of his supporters, who contend that Ukraine would welcome Trump's return as the only leader capable of negotiating with Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring an end to Moscow's war on Ukraine.
"I believe Zelensky is the greatest salesman in history. Every time he visits the country, he leaves with $60 billion," Trump remarked at a rally in western Pennsylvania. "He desperately wants them to win this election, but I would handle it differently - I will secure peace." Harris' campaign, in a statement, criticized Trump for not expressing a desire for Ukraine to win the war.
"Vice President Harris understands that if America abandons Ukraine, Putin would be in Kyiv with his sights set on the rest of Europe and our NATO allies," said Morgan Finkelstein, the national security spokesperson for Harris' campaign. Zelensky's presidential office in Kyiv did not respond promptly to a request for comment.
Trump provided no specifics about his peace plan, only reiterating that he would contact both Putin and Zelensky and urge them to reach an agreement if he wins the November 5 election. Zelensky, currently in the US for the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, stated on Monday that decisive US action now could expedite the end of Russia's war against Ukraine next year.
Although Trump mentioned last week that he would "probably" meet with Zelensky while he was in the country, no meeting has been scheduled, according to sources close to the former president. Over the weekend, Zelensky visited a weapons factory in Pennsylvania alongside Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro, a Harris ally, which angered some Trump associates due to the visit's timing in an electoral battleground.
Eastern European-American communities, including Ukrainian-Americans and Polish-Americans, have become a coveted voting bloc for both campaigns, especially in Pennsylvania, which has significant Polish and Ukrainian populations. Washington and its allies have provided Ukraine with a multi-billion dollar assistance program since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, alongside several rounds of sanctions against Moscow.
Trump has persistently characterized US aid to Ukraine as a waste of money and has refused to state that he wants Ukraine to win. Although Trump and Zelensky spoke over the phone in July, they have not met in person since Trump's 2017-2021 term. Zelensky has previously indicated that he cannot foresee what Trump would do if he won in November but hopes the Republican would sustain US military support for Ukraine.
In a July interview with the BBC, Zelensky acknowledged that working with Trump would be "hard work, but we are hard workers." The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, displaced millions, and devastated Ukrainian towns and cities. Putin asserts that peace talks can only commence if Kyiv cedes large portions of eastern and southern Ukraine to Russia and abandons its NATO membership aspirations. Zelensky has repeatedly called for the withdrawal of all Russian troops and the restoration of Ukraine's post-Soviet borders.
