In an interview with the Guardian in Kyiv, Ukraine’s president said he had no strategy yet” for what to do if Trump returned to the White House, and that the former British prime minister Boris Johnson had approached him on his behalf.
If Trump beats Joe Biden, he is widely expected to cut off US military support to Ukraine. Last year he boasted he could end the war in 24 hours”.
Trump’s aides have previously sketched out a plan that would involve giving Ukraine’s eastern regions to Russia, as well as Crimea. But Zelenskiy made clear that Ukrainians would not put up with that”. Nor would they accept a Russian ultimatum” that forced Ukraine to abandon integration with Europe and future membership of Nato, he said.
Zelenskiy acknowledged that a reelected Trump could, if he wanted to, impose a crushing military defeat on Ukraine. He could cut off "support, weapons and money", and even "make deals" with Kyiv's partners so they stop deliveries of vital arms.
"Ukraine, barehanded, without weapons, will not be able to fight a multimillion [Russian] army," Zelenskiy told the Guardian.
This story is from the June 03, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the June 03, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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