Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in the 2024 presidential election.
"Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump on his impressive election victory! I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September, when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine," Zelensky wrote in his post on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday.
"I appreciate President Trump's commitment to the 'peace through strength' approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together."
Since the start of Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion, the U.S. has been the biggest contributor of military aid for Kyiv, with Congress voting through five bills worth a combined $175 billion. But Washington's backing has been a sticking point for Trump, who has opposed continued aid for Ukraine and has criticized Zelensky for not doing a deal to end the fighting.
On Wednesday, the Ukrainian president went on to write that Kyiv was reliant on continued "strong bipartisan support" in the U.S. and that he was "interested in developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that will benefit both of our nations."
"Ukraine, as one of Europe's strongest military powers, is committed to ensuring long-term peace and security in Europe and the Transatlantic community with the support of our allies," he said . "I am looking forward to personally congratulating President Trump and discussing ways to strengthen Ukraine's strategic partnership with the United States."
Newsweek has contacted the President of Ukraine's Office for comment via email as well as the Trump campaign for comment via email outside of regular business hours.
During the campaign, Trump said that he wants to bring a swift end to the war in Ukraine.
In May, he said: "If I were president, and I say this, I will end that war in one day, it would take 24 hours. I know Zelensky well. I know Putin well. I would get that ended in a period of 24 hours. It would be easy, that deal would be easy."
Military experts and former Vice President Mike Pence mostly criticized this statement. Pence said: "The only way you could end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours would be by giving Vladimir Putin what he wants. And that's the last thing the United States should ever call upon Ukraine to do."
The Kremlin also criticized Trump's claim, saying that there was a need to "be realistic," as per Reuters.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung previously told Newsweek: "President Trump will end the war and killing. Others seem like they want the war and killing to continue."
Trump voters appeared to agree with the president regarding ongoing support for Ukraine, as polling conducted exclusively for Newsweek by Redfield in early October found that 26 percent of likely Trump voters said they wanted to stop support for Ukraine, and 40 percent said that Washington should "reconsider" its level of support.
Moreover, only 34 percent of Trump supporters said that they felt the defense of Ukraine was vital to U.S. interests, compared to 66 percent of Harris supporters.
Trump has also previously accused the Ukrainian president of starting the war with Russia in February 2022.
During an interview on the PBD Podcast, Trump said, "That doesn't mean I don't want to help him because I feel very badly for those people. But he should never have let that war start. The war's a loser."
He has also previously called Zelensky the "greatest salesman on Earth," for having obtained millions in military aid funding from the U.S. since the war began.
In September, Zelensky told The New Yorker that he thought Trump did not "really know how to stop the war."
"My feeling is that Trump doesn't really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how. With this war, oftentimes, the deeper you look at it the less you understand. I've seen many leaders who were convinced they knew how to end it tomorrow, and as they waded deeper into it, they realized it's not that simple," he said.
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