Ukraine’s Zelensky challenges Trump to reveal plans for ending war

KYIV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Donald Trump should come forward with his plan to quickly end the war with Russia, warning that any proposal must avoid violating the nation’s sovereignty. 

“If Trump knows how to finish this war, he should tell us today,” Mr Zelensky told Bloomberg Television during an interview in Kyiv on July 3.

“If there are risks to Ukrainian independence, if we lose statehood – we want to be ready for this, we want to know.”

The former US president, who leads in polls over President Joe Biden ahead of the November election, has boasted that he will end the war by the time he is inaugurated in January. In the televised presidential debate last week, Trump decried the billions of dollars spent on Ukraine’s defence, saying that Kyiv is “not winning the war”. 

In a nearly hour-long interview, the Ukrainian leader lamented the delays in weapons deliveries from Western allies and said he was “potentially ready” to meet Trump to hear his team’s proposals. 

“They can’t plan my life and life of our people and our children,” he said. “We want to understand whether in November we will have the powerful support of the US, or will be all alone.” 

The Ukrainian leader has had a fraught relationship with Trump, who during his presidency consistently accused Mr Zelensky of corruption and soon after the former comedian’s 2019 election leaned on him to investigate allegations against Mr Biden – a move that triggered his first impeachment. 

Responding to questions from Bloomberg on July 3, Mr Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign’s communications director, said the prospective Republican presidential candidate “will do what is necessary to restore peace and rebuild American strength and deterrence on the world stage”, adding: “He is the only person who can make that happen.”

‘A long, long, long wait’ 

Mr Zelensky also challenged the notion that Kyiv is losing, refuting the term “deadlock” to describe the conflict. He said Ukraine’s forces are better positioned in terms of manpower than they were months ago and a new counteroffensive is a matter of arming its brigades. 

“It’s not a deadlock, it’s a problematic situation,” he said. “A deadlock means there’s no way out. But a problem can be solved if one has the will and has the tools. We do have the will, and the tools – they haven’t arrived yet.”

As the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion goes well into its third year, dwindling stockpiles of weapons and ammunition among Ukrainian forces have been exploited by Russia’s military, which has made incremental gains since the beginning of 2024. 

While Mr Zelensky lauded

the US$61 billion (S$80 billion) assistance package

approved by the US Congress in 2024 – after a six-month long delay – he said the equipment was taking too long to make its way to the front. 

“This is the biggest tragedy of this war, that between the decision and real fact, we have a real long, long, long wait,” Mr Zelensky said. 

Nato allies agreed on July 3

they should aim to provide at least €40 billion (S$58 billion) in military aid for Ukraine per year, but refrained from explicit pledges for the years ahead, according to alliance diplomats.

The Ukrainian leader also said China could play a “tremendous role” in resolving the conflict, since Moscow is so dependent on its market for exports. He suggested that the US and China, should they put aside differences, could act together to end the war. 

But a day after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban – on his first trip to Kyiv during the war – urged Mr Zelensky to consider a ceasefire, the Ukrainian leader rejected the notion. He said that those pitching for such a scenario have failed to articulate how a ceasefire would work. 

“Nobody has an answer,” Mr Zelensky said. “I’m not accusing, I’m just explaining.” 

Mr Zelensky declined to weigh in on Mr Biden’s disastrous performance in last week’s debate, which he said he watched. Instead of domestic politics, he gauged each candidate’s position on Ukraine. 

Still, he said that as a former television personality, the medium can influence how the public perceives a leader. Beyond optics, the US leader will convince if he shows “strong, decisive steps”, Mr Zelensky said. BLOOMBERG