Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy flew into a key U.S. swing state this week on a taxpayer-funded aircraft after publicly criticizing former President Donald Trump and Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.
Zelenskyy touched down in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Sunday in a U.S. Air Force C-17A aircraft and toured a local munitions factory that has been producing armaments for Ukraine amid the country’s ongoing war against Russia. During his visit, Zelenskyy met with high-level Democratic Pennsylvania officials such as Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Bob Casey and Rep. Matt Cartwright and expressed his gratitude “for their support.”
Prior to his trip to the U.S., Zelenskyy spoke to The New Yorker and claimed Trump doesn’t “really know how to stop the war.”
During my visit to the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant, where components for artillery and mortar shells are produced, including 155 mm shells for Ukraine, I emphasized the dedication of the workers, which is truly inspiring—they are helping Ukraine stand strong in our fight for… pic.twitter.com/rs0vLZRlVU
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 23, 2024
“Trump makes political statements in his election campaign. He says he wants the war to stop. Well, we do, too…. My feeling is that Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how,” Zelenskyy told The New Yorker in the interview published Sunday, noting that he was appreciative that Trump has expressed his support. “With this war, oftentimes, the deeper you look at it the less you understand. 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.”
Zelenskyy was even more critical of Vance to The New Yorker, referring to him as “too radical.” In an interview with the Shawn Ryan show in mid-September, Vance recently proposed a peace deal where Russia retains the territory it has seized so that a demilitarized zone could be established along the current battle lines.
The demilitarized zone would need to be “heavily fortified so the Russians don’t invade again,” Vance said at the time. Such a deal could also involve the provision that Ukraine doesn’t join NATO to guarantee neutrality with Russia.
“This would be an awful idea, if a person were actually going to carry it out,” Zelenskyy told The New Yorker. “But there’s certainly no way this could ever happen… And it wouldn’t necessarily end the war, either. It’s just sloganeering.”
Zelenskyy went on to say that Vance’s ideas are “dangerous signals,” and accepting such a deal would risk other American interests abroad, such as in the Middle East and Taiwan. He further went on to hint that Vance, if elected, “should be held responsible for potentially starting a global war” if his ideas are put into practice.
“Whichever President or Vice-President raises this prospect — that ending the war hinges on cementing the status quo, with Ukraine simply giving up its land—should be held responsible for potentially starting a global war,” Zelenskyy told The New Yorker. “I don’t take Vance’s words seriously, because, if this were a plan, then America is headed for global conflict. It will involve Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Taiwan, China, as well as many African countries.”
Russia invaded Ukraine over two years ago and started a war that has shown no signs of stopping, even as hundreds of thousands of Russians and Ukrainians have died fighting and hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent in the conflict. Ukraine has lost some territory but is now largely holding the line along the eastern front of the war against pursuing Russian forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has outlined his own terms for a ceasefire deal, although they have been widely seen as ridiculous and were immediately rejected by Ukraine. The U.S. has thus far not publicly presented any ceasefire proposals.
With only months left in his term, President Joe Biden is running out of options in the war, especially as he is unlikely to receive any more funding for Ukraine aid from Congress between now and January. The Biden administration reportedly believes that the chances Ukraine can beat Russia in a military victory during that timeframe are near zero, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The White House and Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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