WASHINGTON:Casting himself as a peacemaker who would end the Russia-Ukraine war if he wins the election, MAGA supremo Donald Trump met Ukraine President Voldymyr Zelenskyy in New York on Friday, a day after Kamala Harris warned him that Trump would force Kiev to surrender large parts of its territory.
Despite being denigrated by Trump and his Russia-supporting MAGA minions as a salesman who is conning US taxpayers for money to fight a war, a clearly stressed-out Zelensky, who sought the meeting, called on the former President at Trump Towers in a sign MAGA associates claimed he knew which way the political wind was blowing in the US elections.
Trump embroiled him in domestic politics from the get-go, kicking off a preview of the meeting by talking about the US Presidential elections and how he is leading in the polls and how if he wins, he will bring about peace because has a good relationship with both the Russian and Ukrainian presidents.
Describing Zelenskyy as a "piece of steel," Trump commended him for support during the Democrats' "impeachment hoax," even though two have since diverged sharply over Ukraine's war with Russia, which Kiev sees in existential terms.
"He's been through so many trials, there's no one else like him, it's a great honor for me to meet him. We will discuss everything and see what we can come up with," Trump said, boasting that he could bring about a peace deal even before he formally becomes president if he wins the November 5 elections.
Zelenskyy barely got a word in edgewise, and when he mumbled about them having a “better relationship in the future," Trump said, “oh I see” and added "it takes two to tango."
Trump's MAGA majors have been fuming about the Biden administration flying Zelenskyy on a US military plane to the US, and in their eyes, deploying him in Pennsylvania, a battleground state, where he visited an ammunition plant making artillery shells for Ukraine. They see this as election interference. Independent commentators see Zelenskyy doing a high-wire balancing act in the US, having to navigate a tricky political terrain and hedge bets on the outcome of the election by meeting Trump after his engagements with the administration.
Kamala Harris meanwhile issued an oblique warning about Trump's approach to the Russia-Ukraine war after meeting Zelenskyy at the White House, saying "there are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory."
"These proposals are the same of those of Putin. And let us be clear, they are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender which is dangerous and unacceptable," she said at the White House after President Biden ramped up $ 8 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
Both MAGA Republicans and Democrats bristled at the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting for different reasons although they recognized the exigencies. "It takes immense courage for Zelenskyy to stand beside Trump, knowing he’s not an ally for Ukraine. You can see the discomfort on his face as Trump spins the narrative. He is a good man, willing to swallow his pride for the sake of his people, even when facing a Putin puppet," one Dem sympathizer noted.
MAGA operatives meanwhile are agitated that US taxpayers are having to foot Ukraine's bill for the war. Their antipathy to Ukraine is part of a larger resentment about the purported US exploitation by NATO in their stand-off with Russia. In the MAGA world view, often expressed by Trump, Washington has not reason to have an adversarial relationship with Moscow.
Despite being denigrated by Trump and his Russia-supporting MAGA minions as a salesman who is conning US taxpayers for money to fight a war, a clearly stressed-out Zelensky, who sought the meeting, called on the former President at Trump Towers in a sign MAGA associates claimed he knew which way the political wind was blowing in the US elections.
Trump embroiled him in domestic politics from the get-go, kicking off a preview of the meeting by talking about the US Presidential elections and how he is leading in the polls and how if he wins, he will bring about peace because has a good relationship with both the Russian and Ukrainian presidents.
Describing Zelenskyy as a "piece of steel," Trump commended him for support during the Democrats' "impeachment hoax," even though two have since diverged sharply over Ukraine's war with Russia, which Kiev sees in existential terms.
"He's been through so many trials, there's no one else like him, it's a great honor for me to meet him. We will discuss everything and see what we can come up with," Trump said, boasting that he could bring about a peace deal even before he formally becomes president if he wins the November 5 elections.
Zelenskyy barely got a word in edgewise, and when he mumbled about them having a “better relationship in the future," Trump said, “oh I see” and added "it takes two to tango."
Trump's MAGA majors have been fuming about the Biden administration flying Zelenskyy on a US military plane to the US, and in their eyes, deploying him in Pennsylvania, a battleground state, where he visited an ammunition plant making artillery shells for Ukraine. They see this as election interference. Independent commentators see Zelenskyy doing a high-wire balancing act in the US, having to navigate a tricky political terrain and hedge bets on the outcome of the election by meeting Trump after his engagements with the administration.
Kamala Harris meanwhile issued an oblique warning about Trump's approach to the Russia-Ukraine war after meeting Zelenskyy at the White House, saying "there are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory."
"These proposals are the same of those of Putin. And let us be clear, they are not proposals for peace. Instead, they are proposals for surrender which is dangerous and unacceptable," she said at the White House after President Biden ramped up $ 8 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
Both MAGA Republicans and Democrats bristled at the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting for different reasons although they recognized the exigencies. "It takes immense courage for Zelenskyy to stand beside Trump, knowing he’s not an ally for Ukraine. You can see the discomfort on his face as Trump spins the narrative. He is a good man, willing to swallow his pride for the sake of his people, even when facing a Putin puppet," one Dem sympathizer noted.
MAGA operatives meanwhile are agitated that US taxpayers are having to foot Ukraine's bill for the war. Their antipathy to Ukraine is part of a larger resentment about the purported US exploitation by NATO in their stand-off with Russia. In the MAGA world view, often expressed by Trump, Washington has not reason to have an adversarial relationship with Moscow.
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