Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump on Sept. 27 at Trump Tower in New York City.
Zelensky has been in the U.S. since Sept. 22, engaging in a series of high-level meetings with foreign leaders, visiting the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Pennsylvania, and addressing the U.N. General Assembly.
Zelensky met with U.S. President Joe Biden and Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris the day prior to present them with a "victory plan."
Prior to their first joint meeting in five years, Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine is currently facing numerous challenges he wishes to discuss with Trump.
"I think we have a common view that the war in Ukraine has to be stopped. (Vladimir) Putin can't win, and Ukraine has to prevail. And I want to discuss with you the details of our plan of victory," Zelensky said.
He noted that Ukraine would be unable to “stop Putin until November,” coinciding with the U.S. presidential election. As a result, the Ukrainian president chose to meet with both candidates to present a plan aimed at strengthening Ukraine's position against Russia.
Trump acknowledged that Ukraine is “going through hell” and described the situation as “terrible.”
The former U.S. president also noted that he has good relations with both Zelensky and Putin.
"I think if we win (the presidential election), we're going to get it (the war) resolved very quickly," Trump said, without specifying how he plans to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
The former president also recalled Zelensky's actions during the impeachment inquiry in 2019, when Trump was accused of pressuring him to investigate political rival Joe Biden and Biden's son, Hunter.
Recently, Trump's rhetoric toward Zelensky and U.S. support for Ukraine has become more critical. He has claimed that Zelensky wants Democrats to win the upcoming presidential election, referring to him as “the greatest salesman on earth.”
Republican leaders on Sept. 25 also accused Zelensky of interfering in the election by visiting an ammunition factory in U.S. President Joe Biden's hometown of Scranton, Pennyslvania, a hotly contested battleground state.
House Speaker Mike Johnson demanded that Zelensky fire Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Makarovka, for her role in arranging the tour.
The Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee also announced he was opening an investigation into the Biden-Harris administration's alleged misuse of government funds.
Zelensky criticized Trump's plans for an end to the war in an interview with the New Yorker earlier this week. He called Trump's running mate, Republican Senator J.D. Vance, "too radical" and said the war should not end at Ukraine's expense.
Asami Terajima
