Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited Donald Trump to visit his country after the former president stated that, if re-elected in 2024, he would resolve the conflict between Ukraine and Russia within 24 hours.
Zelensky spoke in an interview with NBC about Trump's statements about his ability to resolve the war. During the program, the Ukrainian president expressed his doubts about the viability of ending the conflict so quickly and pointed to Vladimir Putin as the reason.
The Ukrainian leader explained that the reality in Ukraine is much more complex than one might think, which is why he invited Trump to see everything behind the war. “I invite President Trump if he can come here. I will need 24 minutes…to explain [to] President Trump that he can’t manage this war, that he can’t bring peace because of Putin,” he said, highlighting that there is no negotiation with the Russian president.
However, Zelensky was willing to listen to the former president as long as the war's end did not imply ceding territory to Russia. "If you’re [Trump] not ready to give our independence…he’s very welcome,” he highlighted.
In the interview, the Ukrainian president also said that he has not had any contact with Trump since he left the White House and acknowledged that he is unsure about the position the Republican candidate will take on the war if he becomes president again.
Trump's statements
The former president explained in an interview for NBC that his intention would be to talk with both the president of Russia and the president of Ukraine to reach an agreement good enough for the war to end in a matter of hours.
Trump refused to explain what exactly his negotiating points would be, explaining that he would lose the advantage if he said it openly. “If I tell you exactly, I lose all my bargaining chips. I mean, you can’t really say exactly what you’re going to do. But I would say certain things to Putin. I would say certain things to Zelensky,” he said.
