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Donald Trump on a phone call with Vladimir Putin in 2017. Ukraine fears for support in the fight against Russia’s war of aggression. © imago stock&people/Pool via CNP Washington United States of America/Zuma
According to a New York Times report, Donald Trump developed his hostility toward Ukraine during a meeting with Putin in 2017.
Washington – In the upcoming US election in November, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris made her stance on the Ukraine war clear: If she wins the election, she will continue to support the country and the government of President Volodymyr Zelensky. At a meeting in Washington, Harris once again assured the Ukrainian leader of US help.
Harris took the opportunity to sharply criticize the demands of her rival Donald Trump, who is pushing for a quick peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. The Republican candidate’s demands are identical to those of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Harris said.
Trump is seen as an opponent of US support for the government in Kiev. According to a report by the New York Times (NOW) The ex-president developed his hostility towards Ukraine during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2017. At that time, while still head of state in the White House, Trump is said to have sought advice from the ruler in the Kremlin.
The report notes that on July 7, 2017, after the first meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Rex Tillerson left the conference room with the following words: “We have to work on the president’s opinion on Ukraine “to change,” the then-Secretary of State told White House staff. Eight months later, Tillerson was forced to resign from his post. According to the NBC news channel, the now 72-year-old is said to have called Russia an “irresponsible force for instability in the world” and described the poisoning of Sergei Skripal as a “truly monstrous act” by Putin’s regime. Shortly thereafter, Trump replaced Tillerson with Mike Pompeo.
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Trump asked Putin for advice on arms sales to Ukraine in 2017
Vladimir Putin portrayed Ukraine as a “corrupt, made-up country” in a phone call with Donald Trump. Russia’s president emphasized that his country had the right to exert influence there – especially after the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Trump responded that his government was over arms deliveries to Ukraine and asked Putin his opinion: “What do you think?” Putin warned that this was “a mistake” and that Ukraine would only demand more support afterward.
According to the NOW It is clear from interviews with politicians and Trump confidants, as well as from reports in Trump’s memoirs, that the Russian president skillfully worked to reinforce Trump’s distrust of Ukraine.
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The war in Ukraine is a controversial topic in the current election campaign before the US election. During the TV duel with Kamala Harris, Donald Trump avoided the question of whether he wanted Ukraine to win the war against Russia. Instead, he used the opportunity to criticize Zelensky and politicize his trip to the United States.
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Trump wants to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours
There have been several comments from Donald Trump in recent weeks. The ex-president claimed that he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine within “24 hours” before he actually took office. Trump didn’t say how he wanted to do that. His relationship with Vladimir Putin is good. According to the Republican presidential candidate, he gets along “greatly” with Russia’s rulers.
It remains unclear whether Donald Trump would continue US military and diplomatic support for Ukraine if he wins the election. Once he takes office, it would be foreseeable that the USA would no longer be Kiev’s most important donor. According to media reports, bringing about a quick end to the war would probably mean that Trump would force Ukraine to give up a large part of the territory occupied by Russia. (jal)
