U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump says it is inappropriate for him to visit Ukraine as he does not hold office, Reuters reported on April 10, citing the ex-president's campaign team.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Bild on April 9 that he invited Trump to come to Ukraine, both publicly and non-publicly, to see the situation in the country with his own eyes.
The U.S. news channel Newsmax reported that Trump had previously dismissed Zelensky's invitation due to "a conflict of interests."
According to Reuters, Trump's campaign said there had not been "a formal outreach" from Ukraine's president.
"President Trump has said publicly it would not be appropriate for him to go to Ukraine right now since he is not Commander in Chief," the campaign's email read.
Despite Trump's rejection to visit Ukraine, U.S. presidential candidates often travel abroad during their campaigns to establish and improve international connections.
Former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie came to Ukraine during the campaign for the Republican nomination. Trump visited Mexico in 2016 during his first presidential run to meet its then-president Enrique Pena Nieto.
The former U.S. president earlier said in May that he would not commit to providing Ukraine with defense assistance if he won the 2024 election. He also repeatedly mentioned that the war would not have happened if he was still in power and claimed that he "could end the war in 24 hours."
The Washington Post reported that the U.S. former president had privately said he could end Russia's war by pressuring Ukraine to cede Crimea and Donbas to Moscow. Trump's advisor, Jason Miller, later denied these claims.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
