During a rally in Pennsylvania, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump asserted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants the Democrats to win the 2024 U.S. elections, where Trump is set to face Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump also vowed that, if elected, he would broker peace between Russia and Ukraine by engaging with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy.

Describing Zelenskyy as "the greatest salesman in history," Trump criticized U.S. financial aid to Ukraine, claiming Zelenskyy has consistently secured massive funds from the U.S. "Every time he comes into the country, he walks away with 60 billion dollars," Trump said. However, Trump did not provide details about his proposed peace plan.

Zelenskyy arrived in the U.S. to attend the United Nations General Assembly, urging global partners to support a "shared victory" for peace. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, sparked by Russia's invasion in February 2022, has led to extensive loss of life and destruction in Ukraine. Trump, who has previously criticized U.S. aid to Ukraine, emphasized his intention to pursue a different approach.

Neither Zelenskyy nor the Harris campaign immediately responded to Trump's remarks, and opinion polls indicate a tight race between Trump and Harris. Trump and Zelenskyy last communicated via phone in July, but have not met in person since Trump’s presidency from 2017 to 2021.

While Zelenskyy has expressed uncertainty about how Trump might handle the Ukraine war if re-elected, he hopes the U.S. will continue its military support under any administration. Zelenskyy has consistently called for the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine and the restoration of Ukraine’s pre-war borders.

Meanwhile, Putin maintains that peace talks can only proceed if Ukraine relinquishes control of territories in the east and south and abandons its NATO membership ambitions, a condition Kyiv has rejected.

The war has triggered immense human suffering, displaced millions, and drawn widespread condemnation of Russia's actions as imperial aggression by Ukraine and its Western allies. Putin, however, portrays the conflict as a defensive measure against an encroaching West.