President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 28 that he had never heard U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump say he would cut aid for Ukraine, adding that the Republican nominee "talks a lot."
Speaking at a press conference in Reykjavik, Zelensky said that Ukraine "understands all the risks," including a possible change in U.S. policy, and is preparing a plan to strengthen the country internally.
The president nevertheless added he would still aim to retain the bipartisan support of the U.S. Congress.
The comments came only one week before the U.S. presidential election, where Trump will face the Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. The vote is expected to have a profound impact on Washington's support for Ukraine.
Responding to a question on the risk of a Trump presidency cutting aid to Ukraine, Zelensky replied, "Trump talks a lot, but I didn't hear him say he would reduce support for Ukraine."
Though often evasive on the topic of the aid for Ukraine, Trump frequently touts his good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the campaign trail and has blamed U.S. President Joe Biden and Zelensky for Russia's full-scale invasion while failing to mention Putin.
"Not supporting Ukraine, I believe, will be a great victory for Putin and a loss for the West, democracy, and freedom," Zelensky said, suggesting that Trump would not want to lose to Putin.
The former U.S. president has repeatedly claimed he would end Russia's war within "24 hours" without elaborating on how he plans to achieve it.
A recent article by the Financial Times (FT) claims that Trump aims to effectively freeze the war and reject Ukraine's NATO membership in the foreseeable future, at least "until Putin leaves the stage."
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
