Before finally meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, Donald Trump stood right next to the war-weary leader and boasted of his “very good relationship” with Ukraine’s worst enemy: Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Before their private meeting at Trump Tower in New York, Trump told reporters during a joint news conference that he’s also friendly with the man standing next to him.
“We have a very good relationship,” Trump said of Zelensky, “and I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin.”
Zelensky interrupted, saying, “I hope we have more good relations.” Trump briefly laughed and said, “Oh I see, yeah. But you know it takes two to tango.”
The tension between the two was clear for all to see.
Trump has threatened to withhold U.S. aid to Ukraine if he’s re-elected. On Friday, with Zelensky by his side, he promised that if elected again, he’ll work on a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. “And I think if we win, we’re going to get it resolved very quickly,” he said.
Zelensky said he “decided to meet with both candidates” running for U.S. president, acknowledging, “we don’t know who will be the president” after Election Day. The Ukrainian leader met with Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday.
Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky meet at Trump Tower in New York.
Shannon Stapleton
Trump also thanked Zelensky for being “like a piece of steel” during the former president’s first impeachment for withholding aid to Ukraine in order to pressure Zelensky to investigate then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
“He could’ve grandstanded and played cute, but he didn’t do that,” Trump said. “He said, ‘President Trump did absolutely nothing wrong.’ He said it loud and clear, and the impeachment hoax died right there.”
