During a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the summit in Ankara, Donald Trump directly answered a question about the possibility of a personal visit to Ukraine for the first time. The American leader confirmed his desire to visit Kyiv, but made this conditional on security and the end of hostilities.
"After the war, I would like to"
Journalists asked the former US President if he planned to visit the Ukrainian capital. Trump answered affirmatively: "I'll go, why not?". However, he immediately added a caveat regarding the current situation: "After the war, I would like to. I don't know if security services will allow me to go during the war".
According to the politician, he considers Kyiv a wonderful city and would like to see it without the destruction caused by the military conflict. Thus, he considers a visit during active hostilities unlikely due to security risks.
History of the issue: from parliament to peace conditions
This is not the first time Trump has mentioned the possibility of a trip. As late as December 29 of last year, he stated that he did not currently plan a visit but was ready to come if it would help bring the war to an end. At that time, he also mentioned that he had been offered to give a speech in the Ukrainian parliament.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for his part, has repeatedly emphasized that Ukraine is always happy to invite the American leader and is ready for such a visit.
The paradox of envoys
It is interesting to note the situation with Trump's closest allies. Kyiv has not yet been visited by the American leader's envoys — Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. At the same time, they have already traveled to Moscow several times for negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Citing sources, The New York Times reported that Kushner and Witkoff would only go to Ukraine if new reasons for discussion appeared in the context of the peace process. This creates a certain asymmetry in the diplomatic activity of the parties.
