Former President Donald Trump has said many times that if he was elected president again, he would end the war Russia launched against Ukraine. On Friday, he made that pledge in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I appreciate President Zelenskyy for reaching out,” the Republican presidential nominee said in a post on his Truth Social platform, regarding “the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families.”
Trump has not offered any concrete policy for a path to peace between Ukraine and Russia.
Zelenskyy has proposed a peace plan, which he presented at a summit last month that Russia was not invited to. His plan calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops and the restoration of Ukraine’s 1991 post-Soviet borders.
Zelenskyy has been firm in his position that there will be no negotiations about ending the war as long as Russian troops remain in Ukraine.
He confirmed his conversation with Trump in a post on social media: “I noted the vital bipartisan and bicameral American support for protecting our nation’s freedom and independence.”
The Ukrainian leader also condemned the attempt on Trump’s life nearly a week ago.
“I wished him strength and absolute safety in the future,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy said his country “will always be grateful to the United States for its help in strengthening our ability to resist Russian terror. Russian attacks on our cities and villages continue every day.”
Trump has been critical of the support, financial and otherwise, that the U.S. has given Ukraine in its fight against the illegal Russian invasion.
Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, Trump’s choice for vice presidential running mate in the November election, has said he “does not care” about what happens in the Ukraine-Russia conflict “one way or the other.”
Trump also has frequently praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, raising concerns among Ukraine’s allies about whether U.S. support for Ukraine would continue if the former president were to be elected.
Trump has also been critical of the U.S. commitment to NATO and whether the U.S. should remain a member of the alliance that has been a supporter of Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
