In his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, former President Donald Trump touted a “very good relationship” with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin as he vowed to negotiate a “fair deal” for both sides.
“I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin,” Trump said ahead of his Friday meeting with Zelenskyy at Trump Tower. “And I think if we win, I think we’re going to get it resolved very quickly.”
Zelenskyy quickly retorted, “I really think we will have more good relations.”
Trump reacted: “You know, it takes two to tango, you know, and we will. We’re gonna have a good meeting today.”
On the campaign trail, Trump has often boasted that he would be able to stop the war in Ukraine, though he has yet to provide specifics as to how, often showing a willingness to work with both sides.
“The president wants it to stop, and I’m sure President Putin wants it to stop, and that’s a good combination. So we want to have a fair deal for everybody,” Trump said in a joint interview with Fox News on Friday.
However, when asked what a “fair” deal would look like, Trump said, “It’s too early to say that.”
Ahead of Friday’s meeting, Trump and Zelenskyy publicly criticized each other as Trump has scrutinized U.S. funding of the war in Ukraine and, at times, has hinted at resistance to providing more assistance to the country.
“Every time Zelenskyy comes to the United States, he walks away with $100 billion. I think he’s the greatest salesman on Earth,” Trump said at a campaign event on Tuesday in Savannah, Georgia.
“My feeling is that Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with The New Yorker. “With this war, oftentimes, the deeper you look at it, the less you understand. I’ve seen many leaders who were convinced they knew how to end it tomorrow, and as they waded deeper into it, they realized it’s not that simple.”
This week, Trump quipped that Zelenskyy was “making little nasty aspersions” towards him.
Despite the public criticisms, the fact that the meeting occurred highlights the significance of Ukraine having good relationships with both political parties as their country’s fate has begun to get more wrapped up in U.S. politics.
Throughout their brief public interactions, Zelenskyy attempted to refute some of the languages Trump was using about the war in Ukraine.
During a pull-aside interview with Fox News, Zelenskyy emphasized Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian soil.
“We need to do, to do everything to pressure him to stop this war, and he’s on our territory, that the most important to understand he’s on our territory,” Zelenskyy said.
It comes as, in recent days, Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, have left the door open to Ukraine potentially ceding land to Russia in negotiations to end the war.
Asked by ABC News’ Rachel Scott on Thursday if Ukraine should turn over some of its land to Russia in order to end the war as his running mate had suggested, Trump said: “We’ll see what happens.”
During a call with reporters, Vance was asked if he believes Ukraine should cede land in exchange for the war to end, offering a similar openness. “Everything is gonna be on the table,” said Vance. “I think nothing is going to be definitively on the table. That’s why you have a negotiation, especially with a guy who’s as skilled as Donald Trump, is because you actually try to have a conversation between both parties and other interested parties about how to bring this war to close,” he added.
Vice President Kamala Harris met with Zelenskyy on Thursday where she alluded to these comments from the Republican ticket.
“However, in candor, I share with you Mr. President, 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 forego security relationships with other nations,” Harris said.
