Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky extended an invitation to Donald Trump to come visit, stressing his war-torn country needs at least one more year of major US support.
Trump has long crowed that he could end a war in 24 hours if he became president, but Zelensky gently suggested he was not misusing the former president’s notion.
“I invite President Trump if he can come here. I need 24 minutes…to explain [to] President Trump that he can’t manage this war, that he can’t bring peace because of Putin,” Zelensky told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
“If he is not ready to give our territory for this terrible man,” Zelensky continued, “if you are not ready to give our independence…he is very welcome.”
Zelensky stated that he had no contact with Trump since Trump left the White House and admitted he did not know whether the former president would support Ukraine.
He also thanked President Biden, who visited the war-torn country in February to mark the one-year anniversary of the conflict.
Donald Trump has shown little skepticism about prolonged funding for Ukraine’s war effort against Russia.Joe Marino/UPI/Shutterstock
“I am very grateful to President Biden, the way he is here and I think he is a strong person,” Zelensky said. “He’s a hero.”
Some 20 months into the war, funding for Ukraine has emerged as a lightning rod issue, with Republicans in particular, increasingly wary of raising more aid to the war-torn nation.
But the Ukrainian president insists that the next year will be critical in the battle to stop the Russian aggressor.
“The gap will be minimized in our budget and after that — after next year, if the war will not end next year… I think we will manage to reduce this gap. And you won’t help us [at] such [a] high prices, I’m sure,” Zelensky said in broken English.
Volodymyr Zelensky insists Ukraine is not ready to give up its freedom to terrorists ‘f—ing, Putin.’Ukrinform/Shutterstock
Since the war broke out in February 2022, the US has approved about $113 billion in both military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but not all of that money has been spent.
Biden is seeking an additional $61.4 billion to the beleaguered allies as part of a $106 billion additional request that has met opposition in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives.
Zelensky again appealed to the American public for further US aid, highlighting the benefits to the US of supporting Ukraine.
“Don’t send your army. God bless, don’t send your daughters and sons to other NATO countries. Because if Russia will kill us all [in Ukraine], they will attack NATO countries and you will send your sons and daughters,” he said. “Prices will be higher…believe in democracy, believe in Ukraine.”
US President Donald Trump listens during a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2019.REUTERS
He cited additional advanced drones as key weapons systems on his US wish list.
Zelensky also downplayed reports of a stalemate on the battlefield.
Behind the scenes, US and European officials have quietly floated the prospect of negotiating a peace deal to end the conflict amid fears it has become a stalemate, NBC reported.
“On February 24th [2022], when Russia attacked our country, our land, our family, and they attacked us all. The world gave us three days,” Zelensky recalled. “Some European countries that really believe in us, they say one month.”
“Many people, of course, in this world are tired. Of course, it is understandable,” he continued. “I believe that today, indeed, the situation is difficult. I don’t think this is a dead end.”
Despite pressure to negotiate with Putin, Zelensky argued that doing so would be foolish.
“I’m not ready to talk to terrorists because their words mean nothing,” he said firmly.
“We are not ready to give our freedom to these terrorists, Putin,” he added later in the interview. “That’s why we fight.”
Last month, the Palestinian terror group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, sparking a war and bipartisan calls to send aid to the Jewish state.
Zelensky assumed that the attack was a gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Russia is very happy with this war. They did not count how many children were killed there. They don’t think about flags or citizenship,” Zelensky, who is Jewish, surmised. “They just want to divide the world [and get] fatigue focus from Ukraine to another war.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
