Trump says he spoke to Zelensky and promised to “end the war”

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump said on July 19 that he had spoken on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and promised to end the European country’s war with Russia.

“I am grateful to President Zelensky for reaching out, because as your next President of the United States, I will bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives and destroyed countless innocent families,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“Both sides will be able to come together and negotiate an agreement that will end the violence and pave a path to prosperity.”

The United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Kyiv since Russia began its large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, a Trump victory in the November election would call into question Washington’s continued support.

Mr Zelensky confirmed the phone call in which he congratulated Mr Trump on his official nomination as the Republican Party’s presidential candidate and wished the 78-year-old well following the assassination attempt on him a week ago.

“We have agreed with President Trump to meet in person to discuss what steps can lead to a just and truly lasting peace,” Zelensky said in a post on X.

“I have noted the important bipartisan and bicameral American support for protecting our country’s freedom and independence,” he said.

Trump-Orban meeting

Mr Trump has repeatedly claimed he would end the war very quickly, but without giving details of how.

Last week, the former president received Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at his Florida estate, who had met with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month.

Trump’s frequent praise for Putin and his reluctance to openly criticize the Russian invasion have raised concerns among Ukraine’s allies that he could force the country to accept partial defeat.

In addition, he has repeatedly proposed withdrawing from NATO, even undermining the alliance’s collective defense guarantee by saying he would encourage Russia to attack any member that failed to meet its financial obligations.

Trump’s running mate JD Vance leads the isolationist wing of Republicans in Congress that argues the U.S. should end aid to Ukraine.

Vance was one of the fiercest opponents of approving $61 billion in new military aid to Ukraine, which Republican lawmakers blocked for months earlier this year at a time when Russia was making gains on the battlefield.

At the Republican Party convention in Milwaukee on Thursday, Trump declared that he would put an end to the raging international crises. He could “end wars with a phone call,” he said.

“I will end every single international crisis that the current administration has created, including the horrific war with Russia and Ukraine,” Trump said, without elaborating on how.

Mr Zelensky said earlier this week that he and Mr Trump would “work together” if the Republican won the White House.

“I’m not worried about it,” he said at a press conference.

Zelensky declined to say whether he was worried about US President Joe Biden. After a disastrous performance at the debate and doubts about his health and mental state, Biden is being asked to abandon his re-election campaign.

However, he acknowledged that the “turbulence” during the US election campaign had a “major impact” on his country.

The relationship between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy goes back to his time in the White House.

In 2019, Trump was impeached for denying military aid to Ukraine while pressuring Zelensky to help him dig up incriminating material on his election rival Biden – a race he lost in 2020.