New York [US], September 27 : Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Thursday (local time) that he would be meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday at Trump Tower in New York around 9:45 am (local time), The Hill reported.
This meeting comes on the heels of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's meetings with US President Joe Biden and US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in Washington at the White House, where they discussed strengthening Ukraine's position in the ongoing war with Russia.
"As you know, President Zelenskyy has asked to meet with me, and I will be meeting with him tomorrow morning at around 9:45 in Trump Tower," Trump said during a press conference in New York.
"And it's a shame what's happening in Ukraine--so many deaths, so much destruction. It's a horrible thing."
NBC News reported Wednesday that Trump had decided not to meet with Zelensky. The former president criticised the Ukrainian president, saying while in North Carolina on Wednesday, "He's making little nasty aspersions towards your favourite president, me," The Hill reported, according to the news outlet.
Trump's announcement was made the same day that Zelensky visited the White House.
Notably, Trump's stance on Ukraine has been somewhat controversial, having previously criticised US assistance to Ukraine and praised Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In contrast, Biden has reaffirmed US support for Ukraine, pledging to provide the necessary assistance to help Ukraine win the war. Recently, the US announced a new package of weapons and nearly USD 8 billion in aid for Ukraine.
During the meeting, Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude for the support of the United States, highlighting that the two nations have stood together since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1839408344198787165
Sharing a post on X, Zelenskyy wrote, "During the meeting with President Joe Biden, I presented the Victory Plan to him. We discussed details to strengthen the plan, coordinated our positions, views, and approaches, and tasked our teams with holding consultations on the next steps."
Meanwhile, President Biden took to his X handle to express solidarity with Ukraine. He also stated that Ukraine will emerge victorious in the war against Russia.
Sharing a post on X, he wrote, "Today, President Zelenskyy and I sat down again to discuss strengthening Ukraine's position on the battlefield and helping Ukraine rebuild stronger than before. Two things are clear: Ukraine will win this war. And the US will continue to stand by them every step of the way."
https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1839417002856784021
Zelenskyy also shared a post about sharing the details of the victory plan with Harris and said, "I shared the details of the victory plan with Vice President Kamala Harris. It is very important for us to be fully understandable and work in full coordination with the United States."
"We must end this war and achieve just peace. We must protect our people - Ukrainian families, Ukrainian children--and everyone from Putin's evil. We are grateful to America for supporting Ukraine throughout this time," the post added.
The Department of Defence (DoD) announced a significant new security assistance package to ensure Ukraine has the tools it needs to prevail in its fight against Russian aggression, the Pentagon said in a press release.
This security assistance package commits an additional USD 2.4 billion in support through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) that will provide Ukraine with additional air defence, Unmanned Aerial systems (UAS), and air-to-ground munitions, as well as strengthen Ukraine's defence industrial base and support its maintenance and sustainment requirements.