Sept. 27 (UPI) — Former President Donald Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that it “takes two to tango” before they meet at Trump Tower on Friday as the two expected to talk about ways to end Russia’s invasion of his country.
Trump’s quip came as the two met briefly in front of reporters before the meeting. Trump touted his good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressed confidence he could negotiate an end to the war, now into its third year.
“We have a very good relationship, and I also have a very good relationship as you know with President Putin,” Trump said. “I think if we win [the November election], I think we’re going to get it resolved very quickly.
Zelensky responded: “I hope we have more good relations.”
Trump then added: “But it takes two to tango, you know. And we’re going to have a good meeting today. And I think the fact that we’re even together today a very good sign.”
Two days earlier, Trump and other Republicans called out Zelensky over a perception that he would rather have Democrats in control. Zelensky met separately with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump’s challenger, on Thursday.
“I think we have a common view that the war in Ukraine has to be stopped, and Putin can’t win,” Zelensky said. “The Ukrainians have to prevail, and I want to discuss with you the details.”
The Ukrainian leader is making a push to sell Kyiv’s “victory plan” to stave off a Russian invasion as he traveled to the United States to attend the U.N. General Assembly. Trump claimed that Zelensky had requested the meeting, which comes after the two spoke on a phone call in July during wich Zelensky said he stressed the importance of U.S. support for Ukraine.
Zelensky said he and Trump made plans “to discuss at a personal meeting what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting.”
The two have been at odds publicly as Trump has publicly criticized the Biden-Harris administration for “feeding Zelensky money and munitions like no country has ever seen before,” while claiming on multiple occasions that he would “end the war” without providing specifics on how he would go about it.
“I don’t want to tell you what that looks like,” Trump said of his plan during Thursday’s press conference.
A call between the two was also at the center of Trump’s first impeachment in 2019.
Zelensky has also spoken out publicly against Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, who he has called “too extreme,” citing concerns that he would seek to give away occupied Ukrainian territory to Russia and withhold funding for Kyiv’s war effort.
Harris spoke forcefully about supporting Ukraine, hinting that she would likely continue Biden’s support for the country during the Russian invasion.