Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Nov. 5 invited former President Donald Trump to Ukraine, pushing back on the former president’s claim that he could bring peace in 24 hours if reelected.
In March, President Trump accused President Joe Biden of incompetently handling the Russo-Ukrainian War, which he said he could solve in 24 hours.
“If it’s not solved, I will have it solved in 24 hours with Zelenskyy and with Putin,” President Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity in March.
Though he was light on details about how he'd bring this about, saying that he didn’t want to give away strategy, President Trump said that resolving the conflict would be “a very easy negotiation.”
“I will have it solved within one day, a peace between them,” President Trump said.
During a Nov. 5 appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Mr. Zelenskyy pushed back on this position.
Anchor Kristen Welker referenced President Trump’s earlier comments in a question to Mr. Zelenskyy.
“Former President Trump, who is the GOP front runner, has said that if he is reelected, he could end this war in 24 hours,” Ms. Welker said. “What is your reaction and message to former President Trump about that?”
Mr. Zelenskyy replied, “Former President Trump said that in about 24 hours, that he can manage it and finish the work for me. What can I say? He’s very welcome.”
He added, “I invite President Trump. If he can come here, I will need 24 minutes—yes, 24 minutes, not more—to explain [to] President Trump that he can’t manage this war. He can’t bring peace because of ... Putin.”
Specifically, Mr. Zelenskyy explained that President Trump couldn’t bring about peace without agreeing to cede Ukrainian territory to the Russian Federation.
Currently, Russia occupies Crimea—where it has been since 2014—as well as the eastern provinces of Ukraine.
Mr. Zelenskyy said, “If he’s not ready to give our territory for this terrible man—for ... Putin—if you’re not ready to give it, if you’re not ready to give our independency, he can’t manage it.”
Mr. Zelenskyy also revealed that he hasn’t spoken with President Trump since the latter left office in January 2021.
Ms. Welker also asked Mr. Zelenskyy if he thought the U.S. would continue to support Ukraine if President Trump were to be reelected.
Mr. Zelenskyy demurred from giving a straight answer, telling Ms. Welker, “I really, I don’t know. Really, I don’t know.”
He added, “I think that it depends not only on the president institutionally, I think it depends on the opinion of Americans, of your society. I think that is most important. I think it’s important in the United States and EU, the attitudes of just ordinary people. It’s their support, their money. It ... depends on them.”
On the domestic side, the support of ordinary Americans and lawmakers alike for Ukraine is waning.
Though aid to Ukraine was once relatively bipartisan, attitudes toward the conflict have increasingly broken down on party lines.
Many Republicans, including lawmakers in both the House and Senate, have taken an America-first approach to foreign interventions, saying the U.S. shouldn’t get bogged down in the far-away conflict.
Democrats, meanwhile, have been far more vocal in their continued support for Ukraine, which they have presented as a moral fight of good against evil and democracy against authoritarianism.
Recently, the subject of Ukraine aid has been at the forefront on Capitol Hill following a request by President Joe Biden—a hardline supporter of Ukraine who’s promised to support the Eastern European state until it defeats Russia and reclaims its territory—for $106 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other international endeavors.
Newly-elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), despite earlier opposition to further Ukraine aid, has been open to granting further funding in exchange for beefed-up border security.
However, President Biden has demanded funding for Ukraine, Israel, and other international fronts be included in a single package—a demand that has almost no chance of ever coming to the House floor.
But more pressing for lawmakers at the moment is the fast-approaching deadline to fund the U.S. government. If lawmakers don’t pass funding or a stopgap bill by Nov. 17, the government will go into a shutdown.
