Trump set to meet Zelensky amid GOP tensions over Ukraine assistance
CNN
Former President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet at Trump Tower on Friday morning, according to Trump, giving the Ukrainian leader the chance to make a personal pitch to a GOP presidential nominee openly skeptical of continued US security assistance for Ukraine against Russia.
Former President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet at Trump Tower on Friday morning, according to Trump, giving the Ukrainian leader the chance to make a personal pitch to a GOP presidential nominee openly skeptical of continued US security assistance for Ukraine against Russia. Trump told reporters Thursday he would be sitting down with Zelensky, a meeting that had appeared murky earlier in the week following comments from both leaders critical of the other. Still, it’s unclear whether Zelensky can say anything to convince Trump to change his position on the Russia-Ukraine war and US security assistance. Friday’s meeting comes at a pivotal moment for Zelensky ahead of November’s US election. He’s sought this week to convince the Biden administration that his country can still win the war, so long as the US and other countries significantly and quickly ramp up military assistance. Trump has repeatedly complained about the funding the US has provided for Ukraine and claimed he will quickly end the war between the two sides, which began with Russia’s unprovoked invasion in February 2022. Zelensky said this week that Trump doesn’t know how to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. “I look forward to seeing him,” Trump said Thursday. “We’ll see — I do believe I disagree with him — well, he doesn’t know me. I disagree, but I will say this: I believe I will be able to make a deal between President Putin and President Zelensky quite quickly.” Zelensky met at the White House on Thursday with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kahala Harris, and the Democratic nominee used the appearance to draw a stark contrast with Trump on Ukraine.
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