New York: Former US President Donald Trump has said that he would meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Trump Tower in New York on Friday one day after the White House hopeful slammed Ukraine’s leader for refusing to strike a deal with Russia over the war.
“President Zelensky has asked to meet with me, and I will be meeting with him tomorrow morning at around 9:45 in Trump Tower,” Trump told reporters in New York on Thursday.
“And it’s a shame what’s happening in Ukraine. So many deaths, so much destruction. It’s a horrible thing.”
Trump spoke hours after the Ukrainian President met with his US counterpart Joe Biden and Trump’s November election rival Kamala Harris at the White House.
Zelensky is in the US this week participating in the UN General Assembly in New York.
Trump said: “I look forward to seeing him tomorrow.”
But the Republican also suggested he was displeased with Zelensky’s recent comments to The New Yorker magazine in which Ukraine’s leader said he believed Trump “doesn’t really know how to stop the war”.
When asked about Zelensky’s comments by a reporter at the press conference, Trump said: “I do believe I disagree with him. He doesn’t know me.”
“I believe I will be able to make a deal” to end the war, Trump added, repeating a longstanding claim that he would swiftly bring about an end to the conflict which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Trump has frequently claimed that he would be able to end the war in Ukraine quickly, in as little as “a day”.
Trump has been highly critical of funding to Ukraine and at times, Zelensky — an uneasy relationship that was made even less comfortable after the Ukrainian President announced a visit to an ammunition plant in battleground state Pennsylvania.
Trump frequently says Russia “would have never attacked Ukraine” if he was President.
Trump has frequently claimed that he would be able to end the war in Ukraine quickly, in as little as “a day.”
“I don’t want to tell you what that looks like,” he responded.
He said of Ukraine that Russian leader Vladimir Putin “told me often it’s the apple of his eye”.
Trump claimed he warned against invading Ukraine and said, “‘Vladimir, don’t even think about doing it.'”
Trump also told reporters of his meeting with Zelensky, “We’ll see what happens, but I believe I can work that out.” Asked whether Ukraine should cede land to Russia to end the war, Trump did not answer directly.
“Let’s get some peace,” he said. “We need peace. We need to stop the death and destruction. Don’t you think? Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Earlier on Thursday, Trump posted to his social media platform, Truth Social, a message purportedly from Zelensky requesting a face-to-face meeting with Trump while Zelensky would already be in New York.
Trump’s announcement that he would meet with Zelensky came shortly after that post.
–IANS