Donald Trump says he had a ‘very good conversation’ with Ukraine’s Zelensky and pledges to end war

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he had a “very good call” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday and pledged to end the war between Kiev and Moscow through negotiations.

Zelensky also reported on his conversation with Trump and expressed gratitude for US military assistance, but made no reference in a post on social media platform X to efforts to end the 28-month conflict.

Trump has said he will end the war in Ukraine even before taking office in January if he wins the Nov. 5 election. He has also said that if he had been in office when the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, the war would not have taken place.

In his post on Truth Social, Trump said that as president he will “bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives.”

“Both sides will be able to come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves the way for prosperity,” Trump said.

Although Trump has put forward few tangible policy proposals, he told Reuters in an interview last year that Ukraine might have to give up some territory to reach a peace deal.

Talk to @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 saw the vital bipartisan and bicameral American support to protect our…

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

In his post, Zelensky said he congratulated Trump on becoming the Republican nominee and condemned the assassination attempt on him last week.

“I wish him strength and absolute security in the future,” Zelensky said.

“I saw vital American bipartisan and bicameral support to protect our nation’s freedom and independence.”

Ukraine, he said, “will always be grateful to the United States for its help in strengthening our ability to resist Russian terrorism. Russian attacks on our cities and towns continue every day.”

Zelensky rejected any negotiations with Russia to end the conflict as long as Russian troops remained in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president has proposed a peace plan, re-presented at a “global summit” last month to which Russia was not invited, that calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops and the restoration of Ukraine’s 1991 post-Soviet borders.

Russian troops occupy about 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory. Moscow’s forces have made gradual advances in the east of the country along the 1,000-kilometer front since capturing the key town of Avdiivka in February.

– Reuters