Zelenskyy responds to Trump’s bold ‘End the War in 24 Hours’ claim

Nation

21 July 2024, 05:05 PM

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on US presidential candidate Donald Trump’s resonant statement that he would end the Russian-Ukrainian war “in 24 hours” in an interview with BBC on July 20.

“Everyone will be happier if one person in the world, whether it’s Donald Trump or not can stop the war within 24 hours,’ Zelenskyy said.

“Okay, let it be Donald Trump. The question is at what cost and who will pay it.” 

The President of Ukraine clarified that he did not mean that Trump’s idea was to make Ukrainians pay for peace.

“But if he wants to do it in 24 hours, the easy option would be to push us to pay, because it is clear how to do it,” Zelenskyy explained.

“It is, of course, to just stop and give and forget, without sanctions, without anything. Putin will take the territories, Putin will create a victory for his society, for the world, and that’s it. No one will go to jail, nothing will happen, no responsibility, no tribunal, absolutely nothing, zero. Yes, this is a very simple way, but we will never go for it, never.”

He added that there is not a single person in the world who can force Ukraine to agree to such conditions.

“It’s not about one president or ten people, it’s about the nation,” the Ukrainian president concluded.

“Yes, we are not as big a country as the United States, but we are strong enough, and I think we have shown that. And the Russians have killed so many people-how can we forget that? We are just people, we cannot forget. In an emotional sense, we cannot forget it, we cannot forgive it and we will not forgive it.”

Trump-Zelenskyy phone call

Volodymyr Zelenskyy on July 20 announced that he had a phone conversation with Donald Trump. According to the president, during the conversation, he stated that Ukraine will always be grateful to the United States for its help in strengthening its ability to resist Russian terror.

“We agreed with President Trump to discuss during a personal meeting what steps can make the peace fair and truly lasting,” the President of Ukraine said.

At the same time, Trump said he had a “very good conversation” with Zelenskyy and promised to end the war in Ukraine.

“I’m grateful to President Zelenskyy for reaching out because I, as your next president of the United States, will bring peace to the world and end a war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families,” former US President said.

“Both sides can come together and agree on a deal that will end the violence and pave the way for prosperity.”

Trump’s statements about Russia’s war against Ukraine

The former U.S. president has repeatedly promised to quickly end the war in Ukraine after winning the presidential election. He claims to know both Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy very well, so he will be able to “solve this problem very quickly.”

He also claimed that he could end the war “in 24 hours.” Trump said that he would “allow” Russia to take over parts of Ukraine and that the United States was giving Ukraine too many weapons.

Trump said in March 2023 that Putin allegedly “wanted peace,” and now he “probably will get everything.” The former U.S. president also called the Russian dictator a “very smart man.”

The Washington Post reported on April 7, 2024, that Trump’s plan to end Russia’s war against Ukraine is for Ukraine to give up Crimea and Donbas in favor of Russia.

The Guardian, citing a book by journalist David Sanger, reported on April 12 that while in office, Donald Trump believed that Ukraine should “be part of Russia.”

During an election debate with incumbent President Joe Biden on June 28, Trump called Putin’s “peaceful” proposals for Ukraine unacceptable to the United States.

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