On Thursday, President Trump softened his recent harsh remarks about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as the United States seeks to broker a deal aimed at ending the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
During a meeting in the Oval Office with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump reassessed his previous statements about Zelensky, including a post from last week in which he had referred to the Ukrainian leader as a “dictator with elections.”
When a reporter asked if he still believed Zelensky was a dictator, Trump quickly responded, “Did I say that? I can’t believe I said that. Next question.”
“We want to work with him, President Zelensky … and we will work with him,” Trump emphasized. “I think the president and I actually have had a very good relationship. It maybe got a little bit testy because we wanted to have a little bit of what the European nations had.”
Trump has repeatedly asserted that European aid to Ukraine is a loan, while U.S. assistance is provided without expectation of repayment. Starmer, echoing a sentiment expressed by French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, countered by explaining that much of Europe’s support to Ukraine had been a “gift.”
In recent days, Trump has grown more critical of Zelensky as U.S. officials push for a resolution to the war in Ukraine. Last week, Trump sparked concern when he labeled Zelensky a “dictator without elections,” criticized his handling of the situation, and suggested that the Ukrainian leader was partly to blame for the war’s outbreak. At one point, Trump said he did not believe Zelensky needed to be involved in peace talks because he “has no cards.”
Monday marked the third anniversary of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began after Russia stationed troops along the border and demanded that Ukraine be permanently excluded from NATO. The invasion occurred nearly nine years after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Zelensky is scheduled to visit the White House on Friday as the two nations work towards finalizing an agreement granting the U.S. access to Ukraine’s crucial mineral resources. Advocates of the deal argue that this economic partnership would incentivize the U.S. to protect Ukraine from any future Russian aggression.
Trump has made ending the war in Ukraine a central part of his campaign, and earlier this month, he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to initiate ceasefire negotiations. Trump has consistently stated that Ukraine’s NATO membership “is not gonna happen.”
When asked on Thursday whether he believed he could trust Putin, Trump expressed confidence that the Russian president would honor his commitments.
“Trust and verify, let’s call it that. … You have to verify, because you never know what’s going to happen. I know a lot of people you’d say, ‘No chance that they would ever deceive you,’ and they’re the worst people in the world,” Trump told reporters.
“You never know what you’re getting,” he added. “No, I have confidence that if we make a deal, it’s going to hold.”
{Matzav.com}