Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has argued that if President Donald Trump tries to force Kiev to accept a peace deal with Russia he will be a “loser” president and risk sparking World War III.
While Zelensky said he had “no playbook yet” for what to do if former President Trump returns to the White House, he appeared to clarify his negotiating position if the presumptive Republican nominee and current front-runner defeats 81-year-old Democrat President Joe Biden in November.
Talking to the British Left Guardian Newspaper, Zelensky Said On Trump’s desire to end the war: “Does he want to be a loser president? Does he know what’s going to happen?”
“This isn’t about him [Trump]”The United States will no longer be a world leader. Not as individuals, but as American institutions. The institutions will be very weak. The United States will no longer be a world leader. Yes, the United States will be strong domestically, because it has a strong economy, no doubt about it, but in terms of international influence, the United States will be equal to zero.”
Zelensky argued that if Washington was seen to be appeasing Moscow, it would create room for other autocracies to follow Putin’s lead and “enter the arena” of war, saying: “This will be the beginning of what everyone is afraid to talk about. This is reality. And this is the real World War III.”
The embattled leader suggested that Ukrainians would not accept any peace proposal that would cede eastern Donbas or Crimea to Russia as part of a peace deal, saying “the Ukrainian people will not tolerate that.”
The Ukrainian president also insisted that his people would not face an “ultimatum” from Putin to give up on joining the US-led NATO military alliance or pursuing greater European integration, such as joining the EU.
Zelenskiy has long maintained that he cannot negotiate direct peace with Moscow until Ukraine’s 1991 borders are restored and Russia withdraws its troops from Donbas and Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014 under the Obama administration in what it claims was a Western-backed coup in response to then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s attempts to maintain neutrality between the EU and Russia.
But rhetoric aside, the harsh truth remains: Ukraine failed to retake significant territory in an ill-fated counter-offensive last year and is now suffering a renewed offensive by Putin’s forces.
Trump has not publicly revealed any plans for peace talks between the two countries but has claimed he could end the conflict “within 24 hours” if re-elected.
After talks at Mar-a-Lago in Florida earlier this year, longtime ally Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán argued that Trump was trying to force Zelensky to the negotiating table by cutting off aid to Kiev, which not only supports the war effort but also much of civilian society.
“That’s why the war will end, because it is clear that Ukraine cannot stand on its own. If the United States does not give money and weapons, and Europe does not give either, this war will end. And if the United States does not give money, Europe alone cannot fund this war, and then the war will end,” Orban said in March.
Zelenskiy’s latest comments come as he seeks to attract more world leaders to a “peace” conference in Switzerland, urges Asian leaders to rally to his cause at a Singapore security forum and criticizes China for backing Russia’s military and obstructing peace talks.
Zelensky, in a sharp rebuke of former President Trump and in what appeared to be an unusual rebuke of Joe Biden, said the White House’s decision to allow American-made missiles to strike targets inside Russia was inadequate because Washington had not allowed Kiev to use ATACMS missiles against facilities inside Russia’s borders.
“Is that enough? No. Why? I gave the example of an airfield where Russia is calmly firing all the time, but knows that Ukraine will not retaliate because it does not have the corresponding systems or authorization,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted that he fears a possible return of Donald Trump to the White House. https://t.co/obnkDTOJyq
—Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) June 4, 2023
