Zelenskyy Congratulates Donald Trump On US Election Triumph | What This Means For Ukraine? – News18

Last Updated:November 06, 2024, 14:34 IST

With Trump on the verge of winning this year’s US election, he promised to end all global wars in a victory speech in Florida.

As Donald Trump is set for a historic comeback for a second term at the White House, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had been closely watching the elections in the United States, extended his congratulations to the Republican leader on his “impressive victory”.

Trump’s win is most consequential for Ukraine, which has overwhelmingly relied on US military aid in its war against the Russian invasion that began in 2022. Trump had hinted that he would restrict US aid to Ukraine and is likely to alter talks with Kyiv by bringing the Russian leadership to the negotiating table.

“I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September, when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-US strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine. I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the “peace through strength” approach in global affairs,” Zelenskyy said in a statement.

ALSO READ: ‘I Will Stop Wars, Make America The Greatest’: Trump Claims US Election Win In Rousing Speech

Trump Promised To Stop Russia-Ukraine War ‘Very Soon’

It is important to mention here that Trump had promised to put an end to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war “within 24 hours” of taking the presidency, although he offered no particular means to do so. Some analysts have predicted that a Trump presidency would be disastrous for Ukraine as he maintains close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

However, Zelenskyy on Wednesday lauded Trump’s style of “peace through strength” and said it was exactly the principle that can bring peace to Ukraine. “We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership. We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States,” he added.

“We are interested in developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that will benefit both of our nations. Ukraine, as one of Europe’s strongest military powers, is committed to ensuring long-term peace and security in Europe and the Transatlantic community with the support of our allies,” the Ukrainian President mentioned.

ALSO READ: ‘Let’s Work For…’: PM Modi Congratulates ‘Friend’ Donald Trump On US Poll Victory

What Trump’s Election Victory Means for Ukraine?

The overall sentiment in Ukraine was that of anxiety as the United States headed for presidential elections on Tuesday (November 5) with a razor-thin contest expected between Republican Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, both having starkly different positions on support Ukraine against Russia.

While Harris had promised to continue Biden’s policy of protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, Trump had blamed Zelenskyy for starting the war and called him “the greatest salesman in the world” as the Ukrainian President constantly appealed for Western aid to deter Russia’s attacks.

With Russia continuing to make gains on the battlefield, Ukrainian officials are reportedly growing more desperate about the future course of the war, with fears that a Trump presidency could deprive them of US aid and force them into a peace deal with unfavourable terms for Kyiv.

Recently, Trump’s vice presidential candidate JD Vance mentioned a negotiation for a de-militarised zone according to current demarcation lines, which means that Ukraine would have to cede control of Russian-occupied Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia, which is unacceptable to them. Ukraine can also say goodbye to NATO membership, while is another sore point for Kyiv.

What Trump Said On Ukraine War

Trump and many of his Republican colleagues have strongly protested against providing crucial US military aid to Ukraine, accusing the Biden government of funding a war that does not benefit American interests. This has strengthened Trump’s campaign plank that no wars had taken place under his presidency.

During the first presidential debate this year, Harris assailed Trump for allowing Putin to attack Kyiv and implied that Trump would withdraw support from Ukraine if he won. However, Biden’s policies towards Ukraine have also been slammed for taking the region closer to World War III.

Speculation over Trump’s presidency became more tense over Ukraine as Vance said he did not care what happened to the country. After Zelenskyy met Trump in September and presented his war “victory plan”, a marked change in tone from some of his previous comments, Trump did not divulge his plans on how to end the war.

Location :

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)