Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone on Friday, with the former US president claiming he promised the Ukrainian president to “end the war” between Ukraine and Russia if he returned to the White House.
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“As your next president of the United States, I will bring peace to the world and end the war that has taken so many lives,” the Republican presidential candidate said on his Truth Social platform in November, calling it “a very good call.”
Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the phone call, in which he congratulated the billionaire on his official inauguration the previous day as the Republican presidential candidate.
“I have affirmed the vital support of both parties and both houses of Congress in protecting our nation's freedom and independence,” he said on his X account.
Donald Trump's repeated praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as his criticism of other NATO members, is raising concerns among Ukraine's Western allies.
Last February, if he returned to the White House, he threatened not to guarantee NATO countries’ protection against Russia if they did not pay their share, and he even confirmed that he would “encourage” Moscow to attack them.
The former US president also used his influence over Republicans to block for months in Congress a $61 billion military aid package for Kiev, which was finally approved at the end of April.
France Press agency
“shocking”
The United States under Joe Biden is by far the largest donor of military aid to Ukraine, and a victory for Donald Trump could jeopardize any future aid, thus forcing Kiev to negotiate with Moscow at a disadvantage.
In his speech Thursday accepting the Republican nomination for the November presidential election, Donald Trump portrayed himself as a world leader capable of ending conflicts around the world “with a phone call.”
“I will end all the international crises that the current administration has created, including the terrible war with Russia and Ukraine, which would never have happened if I were president,” the Republican candidate said, also referring to the war in the Gaza Strip, which sparked the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
In his post on Ukraine.
France Press agency
The Ukrainian president also condemned the “shocking” assassination attempt on Donald Trump on Saturday in Pennsylvania.
He said on Monday that he was not afraid of a new presidency, despite the doubts his election would raise about the sustainability of Washington's support for Kiev.
“I think if Donald Trump becomes president, we will work together,” he said at a news conference in Kiev. “I am not afraid.”
Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump also bear serious responsibilities. The American billionaire was the target of impeachment proceedings in the United States at the end of his 2019-2020 term for trying to pressure the Ukrainian president, during a phone call, to have Ukraine investigate the son of Joe Biden, his rival in the 2020 presidential election.
