United States – The US Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, is to sit for a meeting with the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, on Friday after grilling him on the US campaign trail and questioning whether the United States ally can win the war against Russia.
First meeting
Trump said on Thursday that they would meet at 9:45 a.m. (1345 GMT) at Trump Tower in Manhattan. While Trump and Zelenskiy spoke in a phone call in July, this is going to be their first summit since Trump served as the president of the United States of America from 2017-2021, as reported by Reuters.
Zelenskiy, who is in New York on the U.N. General Assembly, met on Thursday with Democratic President JoeBiden and Democratic Vice- presidential candidate Kamala Harris of the United States.
As Zelensky was in Washington to lobby for the defense aid, Biden went on to announce more than $8 billion in military aid package for Ukraine at the same time Harris came out hailing the support for Kyiv in what can be seen as a coded message to Trump for not protecting the Eastern European partner and ally.
Earlier, Zelenskiy stated that he could bring his ‘victory plan’ to defeat Russia with Biden, Harris, and Trump. However, among the unannounced objectives on Friday will likely be an attempt to mend relations with Trump, who, at times, criticized Zelenskiy.
Tensions Over Pennsylvania Visit Spark Concerns
On the weekend, Zelenskiy visited a munitions plant in Pennsylvania, accompanied by the state’s governor, Democrat Josh Shapiro, a close associate of Harris. The visit angered some of Trump’s campaign and congressional Republicans, who saw the visit as a campaign event, especially in light of the importance of Pennsylvania in deciding the U.S. election.
Trump Steps Up Criticism of Ukraine
Trump, in turn, has recently stepped up his attacks on Zelenskiy. He said on Monday that Zelenskiy wanted Harris to win the election, and on Wednesday, he called the Eastern European nation ‘dead’ and ‘demolished.’
In general, it could be concluded that Trump has not expressed a clear official stance that he wants Ukraine to defeat Russia, and he has made statements that U.S. assistance to Ukraine is not worth it.
Until Thursday, insiders about Trump and his campaign had suggested that a meeting seemed very unlikely; at least the former president had a different thought in mind during Zelenskiy’s visit to the country.
A Delicate Meeting Amid Campaign Season
Some of the current meetings that presidential candidates with foreign leaders have occurred during electoral campaigns. During the 2016 U.N. General Assembly, Trump and the then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton hosted leaders of Egypt, Japan, and Ukraine, as reported by Reuters.
They are, however, delicate as the law only allows candidates to talk or disclose some aspects in the course of such a meeting.
Logan Act of 1799, which allows any citizen in the United States except its officials to communicate with the foreign powers concerned but at the same time restraining them from conducting international negotiations of U.S. affairs.