Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said he may meet Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, who will travel to the US to attend a UN meeting next week. According to several US outlets, his Democratic rival Kamala Harris has also lined up a meeting the Ukrainian leader.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, when asked whether he would have a face-to-face with the Zelensky, he replied “probably, yes,” as quoted by Reuters.
Meanwhile, CNN and Bloomberg reported that Vice President Harris will likely see Zelensky in Washington DC within the same timeframe. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that he had “little doubt that if the opportunity presents itself, and both of them can have another conversation, they will, but you’ll have to talk to her staff.”
The Ukrainian leader is expected to address the UN Security Council on September 24, according to Reuters, citing Slovenia’s mission to the organization. The meeting will coincide with a gathering of world leaders in New York for the annual UN General Assembly session.
The last time Trump spoke with Zelensky was in June when the Republican pledged to bring an end to the Ukraine conflict. Harris also met Zelensky in June at what he termed a “peace summit” in Lucerne, Switzerland.
While Harris has been an ardent supporter of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, Trump has been more ambiguous. During his debate with Harris last week, he dodged a question about whether he wanted Kiev to win, saying only that he wanted hostilities to end.
The Republican has repeatedly vowed to negotiate an end to the conflict within 24 hours if elected, even before being sworn into office. Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, has said that a potential peace deal could involve barring Ukraine from joining NATO and establishing a “demilitarized zone” on the current frontline.
Zelensky has said he is willing to listen to Trump’s proposals on how to achieve peace. However, this week he noted that Trump’s narrative on the matter could be just an “election message.” “Sometimes they are not very real,” he added.
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