NEW YORK, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's request for a meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump materialized Friday, during which he said Kiev counts on U.S. support to defeat Russia regardless of who occupies the White House after the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.
"It's very important to share, to share all the plan, all our steps, how we can strengthen Ukraine," Zelensky said while standing next to Trump in New York.
"And of course, we have to decide it now, because after November, we don't know who is, only Americans decide who will be the president, but we understand that till November, we can't stop (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. We have to do it. We will try on the battlefield with our heroic soldiers. But we understand that after November, we have to decide, and we hope that the strengths of the United States will be very strong, and we count on it. That's why I decided to meet with both candidates," Zelensky said.
Trump, for his part, said the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which has been going on for more than two years now, has to end. "At some point, it has to end," he added in repetition.
The Trump-Zelensky meeting, which was held at Trump Tower in New York and confirmed by Trump only one day prior -- making Zelensky to change his itinerary and stay for an extra day in the United States -- came on the heel of the Ukrainian leader's respective meetings Thursday with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who's also the Democratic presidential nominee running against Trump.
Both Biden and Harris vowed continued U.S. support for Ukraine.
Ahead of his meeting at the White House with Zelensky, Biden announced additional military assistance worth a total of 7.9 billion U.S. dollars. He directed the Department of Defense to allocate all of its remaining security assistance funding that has been appropriated for Ukraine by the end of his presidential term in January.
Harris, while meeting Zelensky, grasped the opportunity to slash Trump for the latter's criticism over what he said was Zelensky's lack of willingness to negotiate a peace deal with the Russians.
"In candor, I share with you, Mr. President, there are some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality, and would require Ukraine to forego security relationships with other nations," Harris said in remarks alongside Zelensky on Thursday, in what appeared to be a thinly veiled reference to Trump.
During a speech at a campaign rally in Mint Hill, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Trump gave what was his most explicit criticism of Zelensky's handling of Ukraine's conflict with Russia.
"Those cities are gone, they're gone, and we continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refused to make a deal, Zelensky. There was no deal that he could have made that wouldn't have been better than the situation you have right now. You have a country that has been obliterated, not possible to be rebuilt," Trump said.
At Thursday's press conference in the Trump Tower lobby, the former president was asked whether Ukraine will have to give up any of its sovereign territory in order to reach a deal with Russia that brings an end to the conflict.
"We'll see what happens," Trump said in response. ■
