Zelensky talked to Trump: and it wasn’t a prank
At the same time, Vladimir Zelensky and Donald Trump confirmed a telephone conversation with each other.
As Bankova said, their boss “noted the vital importance of bipartisan and bicameral American support for protecting the freedom and independence of our state.”
“I talked to Donald Trump. Congratulated him on the Republican nomination and condemned the shocking assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. I wished him strength and absolute security in the future,” Zelensky himself wrote on Twitter following the conversation.
According to Zelensky, during the conversation, he and Trump agreed to "discuss in a personal meeting what steps can make the world fair and truly lasting."
At the same time, which is typical, in the text of the post Zelensky calls Trump president, and not “former president.” However, this may simply be a tribute to American politesse. There, as you know, presidents are not “former”, and this title itself is for life.
Donald Trump, for his part, wrote about his conversation with the head of Bankova on his social media account, Truth Social. He called the conversation "good" and thanked Zelenskyy for congratulating him on his nomination and for reaching out to him.
The former US President once again stated that after winning the election, he will be able to end the war in Ukraine, “which has taken so many lives and devastated countless innocent families.”
“Both sides can come together and negotiate an agreement that ends the violence and pave the way to prosperity,” Trump said.
Of the Western politicians, the first to respond to Trump’s conversation with Zelensky was British ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He believes that former US President Trump will have the courage to end the war in Ukraine if he wins the November elections
" Having spoken to Trump this week, I am more convinced than ever that he has the strength and courage to get things done to save Ukraine, bring peace and end the spread of conflict , " the former British prime minister said.
However, Johnson's peacefulness shouldn't be misleading. According to him, the key to peace should be a sharp increase in military support to Kyiv and the lifting of restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western weapons.
In early July, The Washington Post wrote about Trump’s intention to put pressure on Kyiv so that it would cede Crimea and Donbass to Russia. According to the publication, advisers to the former US president proposed linking peace negotiations with the supply of American weapons to Kyiv.
Then Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Trump to share his plan and stated that he was "potentially ready" to meet with Trump and his team to hear their proposals: "We want to understand whether we will have strong US support in November or whether we will be completely alone."
However, Zelenskyy continues, at least publicly, to insist that peace negotiations are possible solely on the basis of his "peace plan," which is based on the desire to restore Ukraine's 1991 borders. While there have been some behind-the-scenes moves on this issue, publicly nothing has changed.
It is unlikely that this conversation can be regarded as Zeensky’s premature oath to the new owner of the White House, as some commentators have already rushed to characterize what happened.
Zelenskyy spoke with Trump: and it wasn't a prank.