(TheIndependentStar.com) – Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the leader of embattled Ukraine, which has been fighting off Moscow’s invasion for close to 2 years now, has challenged former President Donald Trump’s claim that he could stop the war in 24 hours by arguing that Russian leader Putin is making this impossible.
Ukraine, a pro-Western nation of 40 million people, was attacked by Putin’s Russia from three sides in February 2022 in a seeming bid to restore the former Soviet empire. The Ukrainians resisted unexpectedly but successfully, largely thanks to US military aid.
However, over the summer, their counteroffensive failed to achieve much due to the mighty Russian fortifications and plentiful minefields on the occupied Ukrainian land.
In an interview with the NBC News program “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy argued that if former President Trump were back in the White House, the latter wouldn’t be able to “manage this war” because of the Russian leader’s unpredictability and deceitfulness.
“Former President Trump who is the GOP frontrunner has said if he is reelected he could end this war in 24 hours. What is your reaction and message to former President Trump about that?” anchor Kristen Welker asked.
“Former President Trump said that about 24 hours, that he can manage it and finish the war. For me, what can I say? So he’s very welcome as well,” Zelenskyy replied.
“President Biden was here, and I think he understood some details which you can understand only being here. So I invite President Trump. If he can come here, I will need 24 minutes, not more, 24 minutes to explain to President Trump that he can’t manage this war,” he argued.
“He [Trump] can’t bring peace because of Putin. If — but always there is an ‘if.’ If he’s not trying and if he’s not ready to give our territory to this terrible man, to Putin, if you are not ready to give it, if you are not ready to give our independence, he can’t manage it,” the Ukrainian leader elaborated.
Welker asked him if he thought Trump would support Ukraine if he won the 2024 election.
“Really, I don’t know. I hope that it depends not only on the president institutionally. I think it depends on the opinion of Americans, of your society. I think that is most important,” Zelenskyy replied.
“The war takes the best of us, the best heroes, the best men, women, children… but we are not ready to give our freedom to this f—ing terrorist, Putin. That’s it. That’s why we are fighting. That’s it,” he declared.
