Zelenskyy: Working With Trump Would be 'Hard Work'

Facts

• Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that working with former US Pres. Donald Trump, if he were to be re-elected, would be 'hard work, but we are hard workers,' in an interview with the BBC.¹
• Zelenskyy sat down with the British outlet as he and upwards of 40 European leaders visited the UK for the annual European Political Community summit on Thursday.²
• Speaking of Trump, Zelenskyy said, 'Maybe he really doesn’t understand what goes on in Ukraine, so we have to work with the United States.'¹
• The remarks came as CNN reported that Zelenskyy and Trump have a call scheduled for Friday, according to two sources with knowledge of the plans.³
• Elsewhere in the interview, Zelenskyy further commented on statements in which he said Russia should be invited to participate in a second Ukrainian peace summit — stating that pressure should be placed on Russia in order to persuade it to sit down for talks and find a solution to end the war.¹
• 'It doesn't mean that all territories are won back by force. I think the power of diplomacy can help,' Zelenskyy said. He added, 'By putting pressure on Russia, I think it is possible to agree to a diplomatic settlement.'¹

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²Associated Press and ³CNN.

Narratives

• Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrainska Pravda. Should Trump be elected president of the US, that may mean some difficulties for Ukraine. But with the US being Ukraine's biggest supporter, Kyiv would certainly work with Trump to make him understand the difficulties for Ukraine and why American support is so important.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by Reuters. Russia has seen these types of comments from Trump in the past. While Russia welcomes the idea of a negotiated settlement, this is a complicated conflict and these comments are unrealistic. No one can simply end it in the space of 24 hours.
• Republican narrative, as provided by New York Post. Under Biden's weak leadership, numerous wars have broken out. This simply wouldn't have happened under Trump and, if elected president, he'll be able to solve a number of these crises — including the Russia-Ukraine war — with a few phone calls.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by Los Angeles Times. The Trump-Vance presidential ticket is alarming when it comes to Ukraine. Both Trump and Vance are likely to curtail support to Kyiv, weaken NATO, and even dangerously bolster ties with Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin. A Democratic presidency is essential for supporting Ukraine on the world stage.

Predictions