Donald Trump announced that he will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York on Friday. The Republican presidential nominee stated during a news conference that their meeting is scheduled for around 09:45 ET (14:45 BST) at his Trump Tower property.
This meeting is expected to proceed despite earlier reports suggesting it had been canceled due to rising tensions among senior Republicans after Zelensky’s visit to the key swing state of Pennsylvania.
On Thursday, Zelensky met with U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House to discuss his “victory plan,” aimed at pressuring Russia toward a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing war.
“President Zelensky has asked to meet with me, and I will be meeting with him tomorrow morning,” Trump confirmed, expressing his concern over the situation in Ukraine, describing it as “a horrible thing” due to the extensive loss of life and destruction.
Trump expressed confidence in his ability to facilitate a “deal” between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky “quite quickly,” but he refrained from elaborating on what such a deal might entail, stating, “I don’t want to tell you what that looks like.”
His comments came shortly after Zelensky’s meeting with Biden and Harris, during which Biden announced an additional $7.9 billion (£5.9 billion) military assistance package for Ukraine. During this meeting, Harris emphasized that some proposals in the U.S. might force Ukraine to cede parts of its territory, labeling these proposals as akin to “surrender.”
When asked if Ukraine should concede land to Russia to end the war, Trump did not provide a direct answer, instead urging for peace, stating, “We need peace. We need to stop the death and destruction.”
The upcoming meeting occurs amidst rising tensions between Zelensky and the Republican Party ahead of the November U.S. presidential election. Some Republicans were displeased with Zelensky’s visit to an arms factory in Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, which they perceived as a partisan event to aid Democrats. House Speaker Mike Johnson publicly criticized the visit, describing it as “election interference.”
Trump and Zelensky’s relationship has been complicated, particularly after Trump’s impeachment in 2019 over accusations of pressuring Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden. Trump has recently been increasingly critical of continued U.S. funding for Ukraine and has intensified his attacks on Zelensky, referring to him as the “greatest salesman on Earth.” In response to Zelensky’s remarks about him not knowing how to stop the war, Trump stated, “I do believe I disagree with him. He doesn’t know me.”
