On Monday, September 24, Donald Trump claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prefers the Democrats to win the 2024 U.S. election, where Trump is running against Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate.
This statement from the Republican presidential candidate contrasts with the views of some of his allies, who argue that Ukraine would welcome Trump’s return, believing he alone has the skills to negotiate peace with Russian President Vladimir Putin and end the war in Ukraine.
At a rally in western Pennsylvania, Trump remarked, “I think Zelenskyy is the greatest salesman in history. Every time he comes into the country, he walks away with 60 billion dollars. He wants them to win this election so badly, but I would do differently – I will work out peace.”
In response, Harris’ campaign issued a statement criticizing Trump for not explicitly stating his support for Ukraine’s victory in the war. Morgan Finkelstein, the national security spokesperson for Harris’ campaign, said, “Vice President Harris understands that if America walks away from Ukraine, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv with his eyes on the rest of Europe and our NATO allies.”
Zelenskyy’s office in Kyiv did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump did not provide specifics about his peace plan, other than saying he would call Putin and Zelenskyy to encourage them to reach an agreement if he wins the November 5 election.
While Zelenskyy was in the U.S. to attend the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, he stated on Monday that decisive action by the United States could expedite the end of Russia’s war against Ukraine next year.
Although Trump mentioned last week that he would “probably” meet with Zelenskyy during his visit, no meeting has been scheduled, according to sources close to the former president.