Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been criticizing former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), in U.S. media interviews while also touring an ammunition factory in Pennsylvania on Sunday—reportedly arriving on an Air Force jet funded by taxpayers.
In an extensive article by Joshua Yaffa for The New Yorker, Zelensky’s situation is described as that of a leader who understands the urgency of securing foreign aid, particularly as President Biden’s term nears its end. During a revealing Q&A, Zelensky took direct aim at Trump, claiming that he “doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how.”
“With this war, oftentimes, the deeper you look at it the less you understand,” Zelensky explained. “I’ve seen many leaders who were convinced they knew how to end it tomorrow, and as they waded deeper into it, they realized it’s not that simple.” He also criticized Trump’s running mate, Vance, calling him “too radical.”
When The New Yorker referenced Vance’s ideas, asking if his plan was to “give up [Ukrainian] territories,” Zelensky quickly agreed: “Your words, not mine. But, yes, that’s the gist of it.”
Zelensky further criticized the stance of Trump and Vance, arguing that, “His message seems to be that Ukraine must make a sacrifice. This brings us back to the question of the cost and who shoulders it. The idea that the world should end this war at Ukraine’s expense is unacceptable.” He continued, “But I do not consider this concept of his a plan, in any formal sense. This would be an awful idea, if a person were actually going to carry it out, to make Ukraine shoulder the costs of stopping the war by giving up its territories.”
He emphasized that such a scenario would be incompatible with international laws and standards: “This kind of scenario would have no basis in international norms, in U.N. statute, in justice. And it wouldn’t necessarily end the war, either. It’s just sloganeering.”
However, Zelensky’s comments were not limited to interviews. Reports indicate that, while engaging in this political discourse, he flew to the U.S. to tour an ammunition factory in Pennsylvania, a key swing state. Notably, Zelensky is said to have arrived on a U.S. Air Force C-17, meaning the trip was paid for by American taxpayers.
Donald Trump Jr. criticized the optics of the visit, calling it an “absurd stunt.”
“So a foreign leader who has received billions of dollars in funding from American taxpayers, comes to our country and has the nerve to attack the GOP ticket for President?” he asked, while also pointing out that the timing of Zelensky’s remarks is questionable, given recent events involving his family.
“And he does this right after a pro-Ukraine zealot tried to assassinate my father? Disgraceful!” Trump Jr. added.
