Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on former US President Donald Trump to disclose his plan for swiftly ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, if such a plan exists.
Trump has repeatedly boasted he could end the war within 24 hours if re-elected. At a May 2024 campaign event, he reportedly claimed he would have bombed Moscow had Russia invaded Ukraine during his presidency. However, Politico reported that Trump is considering a deal with Putin that would freeze NATO expansion, particularly regarding Ukraine and Georgia, and potentially allow Russia to keep some occupied Ukrainian territories.
If former US President Donald Trump has a plan to quickly end Russia's war against Ukraine, he should reveal it, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"If there are risks to Ukraine’s independence, we want to be prepared for them," he told Bloomberg in Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/HFdtxKjjLo
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) July 3, 2024
«If Trump knows how to end this war, he should tell us today. If there are risks for Ukraine’s independence, if there are risks that we will lose the statehood, we want to be prepared for this,» he told Bloomberg Television in Kyiv, adding he’s “potentially ready” to meet Trump to discuss proposals.
Dismissing claims of a battlefield stalemate, Zelenskyy asserted that Ukraine’s military now has better human resources than a few months ago, and a new offensive is primarily a matter of equipping the brigades.
He expressed gratitude for the recent $61 billion US aid package but lamented delays in weapons reaching the front lines.
“This is the biggest tragedy of this war, that between the decision and the real fact we face a very, very, very long wait,” he said.
Zelenskyy also suggested China could play a “huge role” in resolving the conflict due to Moscow’s economic dependence on Beijing. He speculated that US-China cooperation could potentially end the war.
Read more:
- Trump considers NATO deal with Putin, potentially to block Ukraine’s NATO accession
- Trump reviews plan to halt US military aid to Ukraine unless it negotiates peace with Moscow
- Trump says Biden should not have promised Ukraine NATO membership
- Trump vows not to send troops to Ukraine