Former President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower in New York on Friday, as the two men tried to improve a relationship that has at times been strained. It was their first meeting in more than five years.
Before the private talks began, the two leaders spoke briefly to reporters. Zelenskyy appeared uneasy during the exchange, particularly when Trump spoke warmly of his ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the invasion of Zelenskyy's country.
"We have a very good relationship, and I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin. And I think if we win, I think we're going to get it resolved very quickly," Trump said.
Zelenskyy jumped in with a pointed remark of his own. "I hope we have more good relations," he said, putting emphasis on the word "we." Trump answered with a smile: "Oh, I see. But it takes two to tango, you know. And we're going to have a good meeting today. And I think the fact that we're even together today is a very good sign."
No results from the meeting were immediately reported. Afterward, Zelenskyy invited Trump to visit Ukraine, and Trump accepted, describing the country as "beautiful" with "beautiful weather, beautiful everything." Asked by a reporter whether Ukraine can win the war, Trump said: "Sure. They could." He has repeatedly declined to say he hopes Ukraine will defeat the Russian invasion, including during the recent presidential debate with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
Zelenskyy is in the United States for the United Nations General Assembly. Earlier in his trip he met with President Biden and Harris, and he toured a Pennsylvania factory that produces ammunition for Ukraine's military.
The Ukrainian leader also seemed uncomfortable as Trump brought up his 2019 impeachment, which centered on accusations that he pressured Zelenskyy to produce damaging information about then-candidate Joe Biden. Trump praised Zelenskyy for supposedly standing by him during that episode, calling him a "piece of steel." Zelenskyy, however, had said only that he did not want to be drawn into America's internal political disputes.
The meeting comes against a backdrop of sharp criticism from Trump toward U.S. support for Ukraine. He has called Putin "pretty smart" for invading and has derided Zelenskyy as a "salesman" for persuading Washington to supply weapons and funding. Right-wing Republican allies of Trump often describe Zelenskyy as a corrupt puppet of Biden and regularly vote against aid to Ukraine.
Harris has taken the opposite approach, stressing her strong backing for Ukraine and pledging to stand up to Putin. She embraced Zelenskyy on Thursday and denounced Trump's demands on Ukraine as "not proposals for peace (but) surrender."
