Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned Tuesday he was stunned by President Trump’s publish arguing the Jap European nation might regain all of its territory captured by Russia.
Mr. Trump wrote in a Fact Social publish that Zelenskyy’s forces are “ready to battle and WIN all of Ukraine again in its unique kind” with Europe’s assist. The sudden remarks — which known as the Russian navy a “paper tiger” — got here after Mr. Trump met with Zelenskyy for about an hour Tuesday on the sidelines of the United Nations Common Meeting in New York Metropolis.
The feedback seem to mark a dramatic shift for Mr. Trump, who mentioned final month he anticipated “some swapping of territories” as a part of an eventual Russia-Ukraine ceasefire deal. Russia occupies giant elements of japanese Ukraine, together with territories captured in 2014 and within the present struggle that started with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Requested later Tuesday by Fox Information’ Bret Baier if he was stunned by the U.S. president’s about-face, Zelenskyy laughed and responded, “just a little bit.”
Zelenskyy mentioned he and Mr. Trump had a optimistic dialog on Tuesday, and he believes Mr. Trump’s place on territorial swaps has modified.
“I believe he understands for right now that we will not simply swap territories. It isn’t truthful,” he mentioned.
Throughout their assembly on Tuesday, Mr. Trump instructed reporters that Zelenskyy was “placing up one hell of a battle,” and he believes the “largest progress” is that the Russian economic system is “horrible.” However the U.S. chief did not seem optimistic a couple of fast decision to the struggle, telling reporters, “It seems prefer it’s not going to finish for a very long time.”
Mr. Trump has pressed each Russia and Ukraine to achieve a ceasefire deal to finish their greater than three-year-long struggle, which started when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
However a deal has remained elusive as either side’ public positions stay far aside. The Kremlin has pushed Zelenskyy to totally withdraw from giant swaths of japanese Ukraine, an concept Zelenskyy has rejected as unfair and unconstitutional. In the meantime, Ukraine has sought worldwide safety ensures to discourage one other Russian assault if the present battle ends.
Mr. Trump has lashed out at each Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin at numerous factors. He met with Putin in Alaska final month, however he has criticized the Russian chief for continued strikes on Ukraine, and mentioned final week that Putin had “actually let me down.”
The U.S. president additionally pressed NATO international locations earlier this month to cease shopping for Russian oil and to impose hefty tariffs on China, which has remained aligned with Russia, writing that these strikes might “be of nice assist in ENDING this lethal, however RIDICULOUS, WAR.”
Individually, Mr. Trump mentioned Tuesday that he believes NATO international locations ought to shoot down Russian plane that enter their airspace, after Russian drones entered Poland earlier this month and Russian fighter jets allegedly entered Estonian airspace.
At different factors, although, Mr. Trump and Zelenskyy have had a rocky relationship. An Oval Workplace assembly between the 2 leaders earlier this 12 months descended right into a shouting match, and Mr. Trump has sometimes blamed Zelenskyy for the struggle.
Throughout his interview with Fox Information on Tuesday, Zelenskyy mentioned he believes his relationship together with his American counterpart has improved.
“I believe we’ve higher relation[s] than earlier than,” Zelenskyy mentioned. “I believe we did not have shut relation[s] as a result of we did not have, perhaps, time. I do not know.”
