Trump Promises Zelenskyy in Phone Call He'll Negotiate End to Ukraine War

Former President Donald Trump told Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the phone that he would "bring peace to the world" and negotiate a deal between Ukraine and Russia to end the fighting that has been raging since Vladimir Putin invaded in February 2022.

Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform on Friday, a day after he accepted the Republican presidential nomination, about the "very good phone call earlier today" with Zelenskyy.

He said that Zelenskyy congratulated him on becoming the GOP nominee and "condemned the heinous assassination attempt" during last Saturday's campaign rally in Pennsylvania.

Zelenskyy "remarked about the American people coming together in the spirit of Unity during these times."

Trump also said they talked about how "I, as your next President of the United States, will bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families."

He added: "Both sides will be able to come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves a path forward to prosperity."

Zelenskyy, in a post on X, confirmed that he congratulated Trump on the nomination and condemned the "shocking assassination attempt," adding that he "wished him strength and absolute safety in the future."

He also thanked the U.S. for "strengthening our ability to resist Russian terror. Russian attacks on our cities and villages continue every day. We agreed with President Trump to discuss at a personal meeting what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting."

The phone call comes amid worry over the future of U.S. support for Ukraine if Trump wins in November because of his criticism of the NATO alliance, resistance to providing financial aid to Kyiv for the war effort, and his frequent gushing praise of Putin.

Trump has called "savvy" Putin's invasion of Ukraine a "genius" move.

The concern was heightened when Trump picked Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate. The Ohio Republican has been a staunch opponent of sending military aid to Ukraine.

Trump has repeatedly boasted he could end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, but has failed to offer any details, even after challenges by Zelenskyy to do so. Some fear Trump would end the war by pressing to turn Ukraine over to Russia.

"If Trump knows how to finish this war, he should tell us today," Zelensky said in a Bloomberg Television interview earlier this month. "We want to know."

John Bolton, Trump's national security advisor, gave a blunt response when asked about Trump's purported plan on CNN: "This is nuts."

"Now, I'm not a shrink. But I know the technical term, for somebody who says, I will bring peace to the world. This is nuts. He has no idea how he's going to negotiate an end to this war, except I think that his affinity for Vladimir Putin will lead to concessions to the Russian side that are going to be devastating for Ukraine," Bolton said.

"I think this is a very dark moment. And it's not just a dark moment for Ukraine. ... We have been assisting Ukraine because it's in the core of American national security interest, to defend against unprovoked aggression on the continent of Europe, and to try and get peace and stability there, that benefits us in innumerable ways," Bolton added.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, asked Friday about what happens to U.S. assistance to Ukraine if Trump wins in November, said it's imperative the country "stands on its own feet militarily, economically, democratically."

And "we have Ukraine on that trajectory," he added. "Even as we're working to do everything we can to make sure that it has what it needs to deal with the ongoing Russian aggression, we're also helping Ukraine build this plan, program for the future."

Tags

Ukraine, Donald Trump, Russia