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U.S. President Donald Trump said he plans to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later today on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Trump made the announcement during his speech at the World Economic Forum.
“I am working with President Zelensky. We will meet with him today. He also wants to stop this war. By trying to stop this war, I am helping Europe,” Trump said.
It is worth noting that earlier Zelensky had stated that he would not attend the Davos forum. His remarks came after another Russian strike on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Other statements by Trump
Trump also claimed that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine would not have happened if he had won the U.S. presidential election in 2020. According to him, Ukraine is geographically far from the United States, and a “huge ocean” separates America from Europe.
He once again repeated allegations of fraud in the 2020 U.S. presidential election and said those responsible should be punished.
Trump stressed that he knows Russian dictator Vladimir Putin well and has spoken with him many times. According to Trump, Putin “constantly talks about Ukraine,” but would not have launched a full-scale invasion if a different administration had been in power in Washington.
The U.S. president also said that the administration of Joe Biden allocated approximately $350 billion to Ukraine and NATO. He emphasized that after returning to office, he has focused on resolving the war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as on domestic U.S. issues, including the economy and border security.
In addition, Trump said that over the past year he had been involved in resolving several international conflicts, including between India and Pakistan, as well as between Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to him, Putin had expressed surprise at the speed with which such agreements were reached.
Trump also questioned the benefits for the United States of large-scale international aid, saying that many people around the world “do not appreciate what the United States is doing.”
Ukraine–U.S. dialogue in Davos
Earlier, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov said that dialogue between Ukraine and the United States would continue during the World Economic Forum in Davos. It is expected that Trump will attend the forum in person this year, after participating online last year.
Media reports have previously suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump could sign an agreement on Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction worth about $800 billion by the end of January.
According to sources, the signing is planned to take place during the Davos forum. The agreement is expected to be рассчитed for 10 years and would focus on rebuilding Ukraine after the war and restarting the country’s economy.
