Donald Trump to meet Zelenskiy after criticising Ukrainian leader

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday (Sept 27) after having criticised him on the US campaign trail and expressed doubts the US ally can win its war with Russia.

Trump said on Thursday they would meet at 9.45am (9.45pm Singapore Time) at Trump Tower in Manhattan. Though Trump and Zelenskiy talked over the phone in July, this will be their first in-person meeting since Trump's 2017 to 2021 term.

Zelenskiy, who is in the United States for the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, met on Thursday with Democratic President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate in the Nov 5 election.

While Ukraine's leader was in Washington, Biden announced a new military aid package of more than US$8 billion (S$10.3 billion), while Harris reaffirmed her support for Kyiv and, in a veiled swipe at Trump, accused him of failing to stand up for the Eastern European ally.

Before departing Kyiv, Zelenskiy had expressed his intention to present his "victory plan" to defeat Russia to Biden, Harris and Trump. But among his unspoken goals on Friday will likely be patching up his relationship with Trump who has at times been critical of Zelenskiy.

Over the weekend, Zelenskiy travelled to a munitions factory in Pennsylvania with that state's Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, a key Harris ally. The visit upset Trump's campaign and enraged some congressional Republicans who viewed the trip as a campaign stop, particularly as Pennsylvania is an important battleground state expected to decide the US election.

Trump, for his part, has intensified his criticisms of Zelenskiy in recent days. He said on Monday that Zelenskiy wanted Harris to win the election, and on Wednesday he called the Eastern European nation "dead" and "demolished".

Generally speaking, Trump has declined to say he wants Ukraine to win its war with Russia and he has characterised US aid to Ukraine as a waste of money.

As late as Thursday, people close to Trump and his campaign had said a meeting appeared extremely unlikely, though the former president apparently changed his mind during Zelenskiy's stay in the country.

Meetings between presidential candidates and foreign leaders have taken place during previous election campaigns. In 2016, Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton both met leaders of Egypt, Japan and Ukraine during that year's UN General Assembly.

But such encounters are nonetheless sensitive, as the law limits what candidates can say or discuss during such encounters.

The 1799 Logan Act permits Americans outside the government to meet with foreign officials, but it also limits their ability to negotiate US disputes.

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