Zelensky calls Trump’s rhetoric on Russia’s war against Ukraine ‘very dangerous’

(Markus Schreiber / Associated Press)

Zelensky calls Trump’s rhetoric on Russia’s war against Ukraine ‘very dangerous’

Ukraine

The Associated Press

January 20, 2024

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was concerned about the prospect of Donald Trump returning to the White House, labeling Trump’s claim that he could stop Ukraine’s war with Russia within 24 hours as very dangerous.

In an interview with Britain’s Channel 4 News that aired Friday, Zelensky invited the former president and front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination to visit Kiev, but only if Trump makes good on his promise.

Donald Trump, I invite you to Ukraine, to Kiev. If you can stop the war within 24 hours, I think it will be enough to come, Zelensky said.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung did not respond to a message seeking comment on Saturday.

The Ukrainian leader also shared concerns that the US would take unilateral action that did not take into account Ukraine’s perspective, and pointed to the lack of details surrounding Trump’s peace plan.

Zelensky described the former president’s rhetoric as very dangerous and seemed concerned that Trump’s idea of ​​a negotiated solution could lead to Ukraine making major concessions to Russia.

[Trump] He is going to make decisions on his own, without me not even talking about Russia, but without both sides, without us,” Zelensky said. For him to say this publicly is a bit scary. I’ve seen a lot, a lot. victims, but that really makes me a little stressed.

He added: Because even if his idea [for ending the war] which no one has heard of yet does not work for us, for our people, he will do everything he can to implement his idea anyway. And this worries me a little.

Trump has repeatedly emphasized that he is well positioned to negotiate an end to the war that has raged for nearly two years, saying he has a good relationship with both Russian and Ukrainian leaders. Throughout his political career, he has regularly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, including after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

At a campaign rally in Georgia just days after Russian tanks entered Ukraine, Trump described Putin as a shrewd political player and expressed admiration for Russia’s quick takeover of a huge, large swath of land “at the expense of what he believes were relatively minor sanctions. .

The US House of Representatives impeached Trump when he was president, claiming he pressured Zelensky to conduct a politically motivated investigation that could harm Joe Biden’s chances of winning the 2020 presidential election, while he would withhold $400 million in military aid that Congress approved to help Ukraine confront Russia. supported separatists in the east of the country. The Senate acquitted Trump of the impeachment charge.

Elsewhere, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog warned on Saturday that mines had been replanted around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, just months after a team of international inspectors reported on their removal.

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, warned that the presence of mines in the plant’s buffer zone, between its internal and external fences, does not comply with the agency’s safety standards, according to a readout published on the organization’s website . The readout added that an IAEA team dispatched to monitor the plant’s safety had previously identified mines at the same site, but these had been removed.

last in

November.

The head of Ukraine’s state nuclear energy company on Saturday described the alleged planting of mines as a new crime by Russian forces that have occupied the Zaporizhia power plant since the first weeks of the war.

In a Telegram update, Energoatom’s Petro Kotin said the situation at the plant will remain fragile and dangerous as long as the Russians remain there.

The

IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency

has repeatedly expressed concern that the war could lead to a potential radiation leak from the plant, one of the ten largest nuclear power plants in the world. The six reactors have been closed for months, but they still need power and qualified personnel to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety equipment.

Also on Saturday, Russian forces shelled the southern Ukrainian town of Huliaipole, wounding one person

local

resident as he stood in his garden, local governor. Yuriy Malashko wrote on Telegram.

Earlier that day, regional Ukrainian officials said one civilian was killed and three others were injured when Russian forces shelled the southern Kherson region on Friday and overnight.

In southern Russia, close to the Ukrainian border, an exploding drone struck a gas pipeline on the outskirts of the city of Belgorod, the regional governor said. Vyacheslav Gladkov reported on Telegram. Gladkov said Ukraine was responsible for the attack, adding that no one was injured.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

spot_imgspot_img

Hot Topics

Related Articles