Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged former US President Donald Trump to share his peace plans publicly if he has a way to end the war between Ukraine and Russia. In an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Zelensky made it clear that any peace plan that involves Ukraine giving up territory would be unacceptable. Zelensky called on Trump to share his ideas and his formula for stopping the war and Russian aggression.
Trump, who is the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has claimed that he could cut a deal with Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours. However, when pressed on whether the deal would let Putin keep the land he’s taken, Trump said he would make a fair deal for everybody. Zelensky’s trip to the United Nations comes at a time when Ukraine is facing opposition from the US regarding support for the war.
A faction of the House GOP is openly hostile to providing Ukraine with additional military aid, and it is uncertain whether House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will be willing to sign off on more funding. In the interview, Zelensky expressed a positive assessment of Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive and reiterated Ukraine’s desire to obtain long-range missiles from the US. Zelensky is planning to meet with McCarthy when he travels to Washington later this week to discuss these matters further.
Zelensky also addressed skepticism from lawmakers who are hesitant to provide more funding to Ukraine. He explained that it is difficult for those who have not experienced war firsthand to compare domestic problems to the existential threat facing a country under attack. President Joe Biden has asked Congress to approve an additional $24 billion in emergency spending for Ukraine and other international needs, but there is no indication yet whether the Republican-led House will approve the funding package.
Following his speech at the UN General Assembly, Zelensky will be meeting with Biden at the White House and holding talks with lawmakers on Capitol Hill. This visit gives Zelensky the opportunity to make a personal pitch to skeptical lawmakers to approve more aid for the war. Zelensky is set to speak at an all-senators meeting, although a similar meeting is not planned for the House. McCarthy declined to commit to more funding for Ukraine, questioning the accountability on the money already spent.
When asked about the possibility of a major breakthrough in Ukraine’s military counteroffensive, Zelensky stated that nobody knows, but he believes there will be more success. He reiterated the need for long-range missiles and air defense systems from the US to level the battlefield capabilities between Ukraine and Russia. Zelensky downplayed tensions between the US and Ukrainian officials over Ukraine’s military strategy in Russian-occupied Crimea, emphasizing the need to protect civilian areas.