President Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky Speak Via Phone Call

President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call on Friday.

“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and I had a very good phone call earlier today. He congratulated me on a very successful Republican National Convention and becoming the Republican nominee for President of the United States. He condemned the heinous assassination attempt last Saturday and remarked about the American people coming together in the spirit of Unity during these times,” Trump said.

“I appreciate President Zelenskyy for reaching out because 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. Both sides will be able to come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves a path forward to prosperity,” he added.

Zelensky called Trump

World leaders know who the next United States President is pic.twitter.com/OJuyeqOvjG

— Ashley St. Clair (@stclairashley) July 19, 2024

Per NBC News:

Zelenskyy said in a post to X that the two agreed to hold a personal meeting in the future to discuss “what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting.”

“Ukraine will always be grateful to the United States for its help in strengthening our ability to resist Russian terror,” the Ukrainian president said.

The call came almost five years to the day after another call between the two led to Trump’s first impeachment, and while questions swirl about whether Trump would continue to support military aid for Ukraine in its battle against Russian invaders.

Trump has vowed that if he wins the election, he’d have the war “settled” while he’s still president-elect. He has not said how he’d do so. At his debate against President Joe Biden in June, Trump criticized the large amount of military aid going to Ukraine, but also said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s terms to end the war are “not acceptable.”

“I spoke with @realDonaldTrump to congratulate him on the Republican nomination and condemn the shocking assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. I wished him strength and absolute safety in the future. I noted the vital bipartisan and bicameral American support for protecting our nation’s freedom and independence,” Zelensky said.

I spoke with @realDonaldTrump to congratulate him on the Republican nomination and condemn the shocking assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. I wished him strength and absolute safety in the future.

I noted the vital bipartisan and bicameral American support for protecting our…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 19, 2024

From The Kyiv Independent:

Zelensky told the BBC on July 18 that if re-elected, working with Trump would be “hard work, but we (Ukrainians) are hard workers.”

He also said he is ready to work with whoever is elected U.S. president to defeat Russia. “Maybe he really doesn’t care, but we have to work with the United States,” he added.

Trump accepted the Republican Party’s nomination on July 18. His chances to win the presidency are expected to increase following an assassination attempt, and calls for Biden to step out of the race are growing louder amid concerns over his health.

The former president has long criticized U.S. aid to Ukraine and, as the presumptive Republican nominee in the 2024 U.S. elections, held sway over the party and contributed to the months-long deadlock in Congress over U.S. aid to Ukraine.

Emily Channell-Justice, a program director at Harvard University’s Ukrainian Research Institute, believes that if elected in November, Trump’s first impeachment following the phone call with Zelensky will likely impact how a future Trump administration deals with Ukraine.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

View the original article here.