The Ukrainian leader is scheduled to travel to the United States to attend the UN General Assembly.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said he might meet with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, who is due to travel to the United States for a UN meeting next week. According to several US media, his Democratic rival Kamala Harris has also arranged a meeting with the Ukrainian leader.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, when asked if he would have a face-to-face meeting with Zelensky, he replied: “Probably, yes” as quoted by Reuters.
Meanwhile, CNN and Bloomberg reported that Vice President Harris will likely meet with Zelensky in Washington DC within the same time frame. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that there was “There is no doubt that if the opportunity presents itself and they can both have another conversation, they will do so, but they will have to speak to their staff.”
According to Reuters, the Ukrainian leader will address the UN Security Council on September 24, citing Slovenia’s mission to the organisation. The meeting will coincide with a gathering of world leaders in New York for the annual session of the UN General Assembly.
Trump last spoke to Zelensky in June, when the Republican pledged to end the Ukraine conflict. Harris also met with Zelensky in June in what she called a “peace summit” in Lucerne, Switzerland.
While Harris has been a vocal defender of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, Trump has been more ambiguous. During his debate with Harris last week, he sidestepped a question about whether he wanted kyiv to win, saying only that he wanted hostilities to end.
The Republican has repeatedly promised to negotiate an end to the conflict within 24 hours if elected, even before taking office. Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, has said a potential peace deal could involve banning Ukraine from joining NATO and establishing a “demilitarized zone” on the current front line.
Zelensky has said he is willing to listen to Trump’s proposals on how to achieve peace. However, he noted this week that Trump’s narrative on the matter may be just a “electoral message”. “Sometimes they are not very real,” he added.
