Staff Reports
President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed his fear of a Donald Trump victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, expressing uncertainty about how the former commander-in-chief would have responded to a Russian invasion. Zelensky had nothing but high praises for the Biden administration, which has generously provided billions of dollars worth of weapons aid since the 2022 invasion.
Zelensky Admits He’s Petrified of Trump Returning to the White Househttps://t.co/1vvho0RUtD
— The Daily Fetched (@DailyFetched) June 4, 2023
Zelensky admits he is more comfortable dealing with Biden, saying a Trump administration returning to the White House could disrupt his war efforts. “President Biden is the president during a full-scale war, and he has been more helpful to us than President Trump,” Zelensky told the Wall Street Journal.
The Ukrainian President expressed discomfort with Trump’s claim that he could negotiate a peace settlement to the Ukraine War within 24 hours during his term, despite the former leader’s failure to address Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014.
In his interview, Zelensky made an urgent appeal for more Patriot missile systems to be provided to Ukraine, claiming that the country lacks sufficient defensive equipment to protect both the frontline and its citizens in cities. He specified that “50 Patriots” would be adequate to deter Russian air attacks.
Currently, there are two Patriot air defense systems in Ukraine, one donated by the U.S. and the other donated jointly by Germany and the Netherlands. Although there is uncertainty about which system was damaged, Ukraine’s ability to defend Kyiv amid increasing Russian missile attacks would be affected if one is rendered inoperable even for a brief period.
The United States responded to Ukraine’s appeal by providing Patriot missile systems while ten weeks of training Ukrainian troops on operating it. Western officials were impressed by the quick learning process.
It is only natural to feel scared of drastic political changes that might jeopardize the support and aid that President Zelensky’s country desperately needs in such a trying time.
