Volodymyr Zelensky takes a shot at Trump in new interview
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is questioning whether Donald Trump is loyal to the nation he seeks to lead.
Zelensky told CNN that Trump would be "against Americans" if he supported Russia over Ukraine, and he said the former president did not understand the conflict or Vladimir Putin's intentions.
“I can’t understand how Donald Trump can be on the side of Putin," Zelensky said. "It's unbelievable."
Trump, the clear Republican presidential frontrunner, has claimed he would end the conflict in a day if he's re-elected and he has refused to say whether he supports Russia or Ukraine in the war.
“I think Donald Trump doesn’t know Putin,” Zelensky said. “I know he met him… but he never fought with Putin. (The) American army never fought with the army of Russia. Never… I have a better understanding."
“I don’t think he understands that Putin will never stop,” he added.
Last month, President Joe Biden warned Republicans that blocking vital US military aid for Ukraine threatened the "free world" as talks with congressional leaders at the White House failed to produce a breakthrough.
U.S. assistance for Ukraine has dried up with Republicans refusing to approve Biden's request for $60 billion for Kyiv until the Democrat bows to their demands for measures to curb migration over the Mexican border.
The bitter partisan battle has been intensified by the looming US presidential election in November, and has raised deep concerns among Western allies who fear it could harm Kyiv's fight against Russia's invasion.
Biden told the visiting House and Senate leaders that the months-long standoff "endangers the United States' national security, the NATO alliance, and the rest of the free world," the White House said.
"The president called on Congress to quickly provide additional funding to support Ukraine and send a strong signal of US resolve. The president also made clear that we must act now to address the challenges at the border."