Washington: Former US President Donald Trump has said he would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday after having criticised him on the campaign trail and expressing doubts over his ability to win the ongoing war against Russia. This announcement came after US President Joe Biden announced more than $8 billion in military assistance for Ukraine to "win the war" against Russian invaders on Thursday.
Trump, who said he would "probably talk" with Zelenskyy, had criticised the Ukrainian leader for making "nasty aspersions" towards him. The former President has long been critical of US aid to Ukraine, calling it a waste of money. Sources familiar with the former president's schedule had earlier told Reuters that Trump does not plan to meet Zelenskyy during the Ukrainian president's trip to the United States.
"President Zelenskyy has asked to meet with me, and I will be meeting with him tomorrow morning at around 9:45 in Trump Tower" in New York, Trump said. Zelenskyy has long sought a meeting with Trump. The two men spoke by phone in July but have not met in person since Trump's term as president ended in 2021.
Trump's criticism of Zelenskyy
During a press conference on Thursday, Trump repeated his claims that he could rapidly negotiate a deal between Russia and Ukraine if he defeats Biden's vice president, Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate in the race for the White House. On the day before, he had denounced Ukraine by alluding to Zelenskyy's recent criticism of him and his running mate JD Vance.
"It's something we have to have a quick discussion about because the president of Ukraine is in our country and he's making little nasty aspersions toward your favourite president, me. But take a look at the war happening right now in Ukraine. It would have never happened if I were president to start off with," Trump said on Wednesday.
Zelenskyy, who is visiting the US, previously described Vance as "too radical" for proposing that Ukraine surrender territories under Russian control and that Trump “doesn't really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how.” Zelenskyy is pitching the White House on what he calls a victory plan for the war, expected to include an ask to use long-range Western weapons to strike Russian targets.
Biden announces aid for Ukraine
Biden announced $8 billion in military aid to Kyiv, which includes the first shipment of a precision-guided glide bomb called the Joint Standoff Weapon, with a range of up to 130 km. The medium-range weapon gives Ukraine a major upgrade it is using to attack Russian forces. The bomb is capable of striking targets with high accuracy and will be dropped from fighter jets.
"We’re making clear that we stand with Ukraine now and in the future," Biden told reporters ahead of a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. He said the US would continue to help Ukraine strengthen its position on the battlefield, and that he had directed the Pentagon to allocate all remaining security funding by the end of his term in January.
Zelenskyy thanked Biden for his support and said it was important to secure Ukraine's future in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Zelenskyy has long sought NATO membership, but the allies have stopped short of taking that step. "We have a strong security agreement with United States, and we are grateful for it and we will fully implement it.," he said.
Kamala Harris' veiled attack on Trump
Zelenskyy discussed his 'victory plan' for the war with Biden and Harris during their meeting on Thursday and is expected to do the same with Trump. "I shared the details of the Victory Plan with Vice President Kamala Harris. It is very important for us to be fully understandable and work in full coordination with the United States," he said.
At a press conference, Harris expressed continued support with Ukraine and made a veiled reference towards Trump's recent remarks. "There are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality and would require Ukraine to forgo security relationships with other nations. These proposals are the same as those of Putin. And let us be clear, they are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable,” she remarked.
"The United States cannot and should not isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. Isolation is not insulation. So then, the United States supports Ukraine not out of charity, but because it is in our strategic interest. We will continue to provide the security assistance Ukraine needs to succeed on the battlefield," she also said.
(with agency input)
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