President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the United States this week could complicate relations with the United States, especially if November's elections bring Republicans to power.
He flew on an Air Force C-17 to a weapons manufacturer in the battleground state of Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he signed a bombshell document with the state's Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, and called former President Trump's running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, “too extreme.”
The Ukrainian president said he didn't think Trump knew how to end the war, telling the UN General Assembly that the war with Russia “cannot be negotiated” and that Russian President Vladimir Putin “can only be forced to make peace,” which has frustrated those around Trump.
“As someone who has been a personal supporter of President Zelensky, I was deeply disappointed that the president allowed it to be used in this way,” Victoria Coats, a former deputy national security adviser to Trump, told Fox News Digital. “It was almost political theater.”
The former president said at a rally on Tuesday that Zelensky “really wanted” Vice President Kamala Harris to win the election, describing Harris as “the greatest salesman of all time.”
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The bizarre move has conservative Ukraine supporters worried that if Republicans take power, the warring nation could return to the United States next year seeking more aid.
President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the United States this week could complicate relations with the United States, especially if November's elections bring Republicans to power. (Jan Dobronosov/Global Images of Ukraine via Getty Images)
“I don't know what he can do to repair the relationship,” Coates said. “It was a very strange performance. It was very counterproductive for him to be able to come back a year later and claim more funding.”
“He's too extreme,” Zelensky told The New Yorker this week about Vance, who openly opposes aid to Ukraine. “[Vance's]message seems to be that Ukraine has to make sacrifices. Which brings us back to the question of cost and who will bear it. The idea that the world will end this war at the expense of Ukraine is unacceptable.”
Zelensky added, “Trump may think he knows how to stop a war, but in my opinion he doesn't know how to stop a war.”
“(Zelensky's) response was very poor,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), a close ally of Trump and a key negotiator in passing the final $60 billion bailout for Ukraine earlier this year.
The suggestion to Zelensky was: “Stay out of politics and come and talk to us about what just happened, because it was a bad move.”
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a staunch supporter of Ukraine, doesn't think this is a bad move.
Zelensky called Senator J.D. Vance “too extreme.” (Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images)
“Mr. Zelensky correctly responded to some of the things Senator Vance said about his position on these issues,” the Connecticut Democrat said.
Vance presented a peace plan this month that would see Ukraine give up most of the territory occupied by Russia after 2022 in exchange for establishing a demilitarized zone along the front line, strengthening Ukraine to deter new aggression and ensuring that Kiev stays out of NATO.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri), a representative for Trump, said Zelenskiy deserved any blow he received.
“No matter where you stand, having a foreign leader on U.S. territory, flying around in a C-17, Kamala Harris' campaign hub, criticizing President Trump is just surreal, either way, and I hope there will be a backlash. This is unacceptable.”
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“He made the decision to make those comments, they went completely overboard and he should be called out for that.”
But Schmidt suggested his comments did not completely rule out further aid in the future.
“I think we need to take a hard look at what the plan is, has Europe taken steps and all that,” he told Fox News Digital. “But this isn't helping.”
In his comments to The New Yorker, Zelensky suggested Trump seemed more receptive to his arguments than his running mate.
“These are dangerous signals coming from a vice presidential candidate, and I have to say, this did not happen with Trump,” he said.
“He and I spoke on the phone and from my perspective, his messages were as positive as they could be: 'I get it,' 'I support you,' etc.”
“I don't take Vance's words seriously,” he added. “Trump is making political statements on the campaign trail. He says he wants to stop the war. We think so too,” Zelensky added.
The war in Ukraine has entered its third year. (Oleksandr Gusev/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukraine is expected to receive the remaining $6 billion in aid from the additional aid in the coming months as its war with Russia approaches the third anniversary in February.
Zelensky is due to meet with President Biden on Thursday to pitch a new plan for victory, and he is expected to again ask the U.S. for permission to use long-range missiles to strike deep into Russia.
Trump said last week he would “probably” meet with Zelenskiy during his visit to the US, but no such meeting has been scheduled.
And at the United Nations this week, President Zelensky suggested a negotiated peace deal was not possible.
“I know there are people in the world who would like to talk to President Putin,” Zelenskiy told the General Assembly, “and maybe they would like to hear from him that he is angry because we are exercising our right to protect our people.”
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Wearing his trademark green overalls, he called such views “madness.” “Russia can only be brought to peace by force, and that's exactly what needs to be done – bring Russia to peace,” he said.
“Russia is committing international crimes. This war will not go away easily, and it cannot be quelled through talks. Action is needed.”
