PREVIEW

Trump Agrees to Meet Zelensky Despite Recent Criticism Amid Rising Tensions Over Ukraine War. Donald Trump has agreed to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Trump Tower on Friday, despite previously criticizing him on the campaign trail, BBC News reports. The meeting comes just days after Trump criticized Zelensky for not "making a deal" with Russia, but now claims he could broker peace between Ukraine and Russia "quite quickly.” Trump’s relationship with Zelensky has been rocky, including Trump’s 2019 impeachment for allegedly pressuring Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden’s family. Trump has frequently echoed Russian talking points, refusing to specify if Ukraine should cede territory to Russia in a bid to end the war. Tensions between Zelensky and the Republican party have grown, especially after Zelensky’s visit to an arms factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania, which some Republicans labeled as a campaign move to favor Democrats. Despite his recent attacks on Zelensky, calling him the "greatest salesman on Earth," Trump agreed to the meeting, but offered little detail on how he would resolve the conflict. Trump criticized U.S. financial support for Ukraine, while Zelensky expressed doubts about Trump’s ability to stop the war in a recent interview. On Thursday, Zelensky met with President Biden and Vice-President Harris at the White House to discuss his "victory plan" aimed at pressuring Russia into ending the war. Biden announced a new $7.9 billion military aid package for Ukraine, reaffirming the U.S. commitment to helping Ukraine resist Russian aggression. Amid these diplomatic meetings, Russian drone attacks continued in Ukraine, killing three people in the port city of Izmail and further intensifying the conflict.
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