Zelensky and Trump clash over war in Ukraine during tense meeting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Donald Trump on Friday. "It has to end," Trump said, welcoming Zelensky. He added, "He’s gone through hell. His country has gone through hell."
On Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky met with Donald Trump. To recap, the former US president has consistently stated that if he wins the upcoming elections, he will quickly end the war.
"We’re going to work very much with both parties to try and get this settled and get it worked out. It has to end. At some point, it has to end," Trump said, welcoming Zelensky at Trump Tower in New York. "He’s gone through hell. His country has gone through hell," he added.
Responding to why he decided to meet with the former president, Zelensky said, "I think we have common view that the war in Ukraine has to be stopped, and Putin can’t win, and Ukraine has to prevail." He added, "I want to discuss with you the details about that."
"We have a very good relationship, and I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin. And I think if we win, we’re going to get it resolved very quickly," Trump said during the meeting. Zelensky replied, "I hope we have more good relations between us."
"We need to do everything to pressure him to stop this war"
"We both want to see this end, and we both want to see a fair deal made," Trump assured after the meeting.
He emphasized that everyone wants the war to end as soon as possible, while he believed Zelensky wanted it to end justly. Trump stressed that even Putin wants the war to end and that this is "a very good sign."
"The president wants it to end, and he wants it to end as quickly as possible. He wants a fair transaction to take place," Trump said, but he again refused to disclose details of his peace plan.
Zelensky, however, stated that the war should not have started at all and added that Vladimir Putin should be pressured to ensure peace, especially for the families of the deceased. "We need to do everything to pressure him to stop this war. He is in our territory. That's most important to understand. He is in our territory," the Ukrainian president thundered.
Tension between Trump and Zelensky
The meeting between Trump and Zelensky occurred after their planned talks were initially canceled following a series of controversial gestures and statements from both sides.
Zelensky caused outrage among Trump and some Republicans with his interview in "The New Yorker," in which he criticized both Trump and his vice-presidential candidate, Senator JD Vance, whom he described as "too radical" due to his proposed plan to end the war in Ukraine by establishing a ceasefire along the current front lines.
Zelensky also said that Trump doesn't know how to stop the war, even if he thinks he does. Zelensky's Sunday visit to an artillery ammunition factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania, accompanied by Democratic politicians, state Governor Josh Shapiro, and Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey, further outraged the public.
In recent days, Trump criticized Zelensky for not reaching a deal with Putin that would have prevented or ended the war. He mocked Zelensky as the "greatest salesman in history" because of the aid received from the US. He claimed that Zelensky wanted a Democratic victory in the elections and accused him of "nasty little slanders" against him.
