Until the last moment it was not clear whether the meeting would take place. But on Friday, Volodymyr Zelenskyj and Donald Trump finally stood side by side in Trump Tower in New York and tried not to make the differences an issue before the conversation. Instead, the Ukrainian president spoke of “many challenges in Ukraine and the United States” that he wanted to discuss with Trump. “I think we agree that the war in Ukraine must end,” said Zelensky, highlighting the lowest common denominator.
Even before his trip to the United States, the Ukrainian president had said that he wanted to present his “victory plan” exclusively to President Joe Biden, but then also to the two presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. When asked about this on Friday, Zelensky said it was important to share one’s own plans and steps. It is also hoped that the position of the United States will continue to be “very strong” after November. That’s why he wanted to meet with both presidential candidates.
Trump: It “always takes two”
Harris, who differs from Biden only in nuances when it comes to foreign policy, once again assured the Ukrainian of Washington’s continued support before the conversation on Thursday. There was also a message for Trump hidden inside. History has shown that “the United States cannot and should not isolate itself from the rest of the world.” Isolation does not equal protection – a tip against Trump’s “America First policy”.
The Republican said on Friday that he would “work very hard” to resolve the conflict, but it “always takes two.” It is a good sign that he and Zelensky are now meeting for a discussion. It could well be that there will be a solution “long” before he takes office on January 20th, Trump said, but again did not give any details about how he wants to achieve this. Only on Wednesday did the presidential candidate violently attack Selenskyj at a campaign event in North Carolina.
He accused the Ukrainian of not wanting peace with Russia. Zelensky is “probably the greatest businessman in the world”: he received billions on every visit without bringing about an end to the war. A “bad deal” is better than the ongoing destruction in Ukraine. On Friday, Trump went one step further in a half-sentence. A deal will be reached, he said, “that is good for both sides.”
