A senior Ukrainian official says his country seeks a visit by former US President Donald Trump to gain a deeper understanding of the need for continued support.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak made the comment in an interview with NHK in Kyiv on Thursday. He also said a July 19 phone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump was “quite effective.” Trump has been nominated as the Republican Party presidential candidate.
Podolyak said the phone conversation gave Kyiv evidence that the Trump team will understand the issues related to the war, Ukraine’s needs and the risks posed by Russia.
Podolyak also said Zelenskyy asked Trump to visit Ukraine and see what war is like with his own eyes. The presidential adviser said such a visit would lead to deeper emotional understanding.
Podolyak indicated Kyiv would deepen exchanges with Republican and Democratic candidates’ teams ahead of the November election in the US.
Zelenskyy aims to hold another international conference on Ukraine’s peace plan in November. Podolyak stressed the importance of that gathering and said the war in Ukraine is about more than territory. He said it concerns the rules the world will live by in the future.
He urged China, which has not taken part in the Ukraine peace summit to play a leading, neutral role.
Ukraine’s military has continued to strike Russian forces in Crimea in Ukraine’s south, which Moscow unilaterally annexed. Podolyak suggests the liberation of Crimea will have a “significant psychologic impact” toward bringing down the administration of Russian President Vladimir Putin.