Trump and Zelensky to meet at Trump Tower amid ongoing tensions

Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in the upcoming November presidential elections, announced on Thursday that he will meet with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday morning in New York.

- President Zelensky has asked to meet with me, and I will be meeting with him tomorrow morning at around 9:45 in Trump Tower - Trump told reporters.

As AFP reminds, the two leaders' meeting has been the subject of much speculation in recent days. According to the Associated Press, Trump had refused Zelensky's request earlier. - We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal, Zelensky - Trump reportedly said.

Zelensky, currently in the US, met on Thursday in Washington with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running against Trump in the elections.

Right-wing politicians in the US expressed outrage after an interview the Ukrainian president gave to "The New Yorker." He criticized both Trump and his vice-presidential candidate, Senator JD Vance, whom he called "too radical" in the context of his plan to end the war in Ukraine, which includes a ceasefire along the current front lines.

Zelensky also stated that Trump "does not really know how to stop the war in Ukraine, even if he might think he does."

During a rally on Wednesday in North Carolina, Trump accused the Ukrainian president of "little, nasty aspersions" at him. He also claimed that Zelensky did not agree to "give in a little" to Russia, which contributed to Russia's aggression. Trump also criticized Biden for not making a deal with Putin that could have prevented the war.

As AFP reminds, in recent months Trump has particularly criticized the billions of dollars that the United States has spent on support for Kyiv in its conflict with Russia.