President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine met with former U.S. President Donald J. Trump on Friday as concerns mount in Kyiv that a second Trump administration could spell the end of American support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
The meeting at Trump Tower in Manhattan was the first in-person encounter between the two men since 2019.
Mr. Zelensky is nearing the end of a nearly weeklong visit to the United States during which he has made appeals for increased financial and military aid to President Biden; Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee; and bipartisan groups of lawmakers.
Convincing American officials to sustain aid to Ukraine has become more complicated as fighting on the Ukrainian battlefield stretches further into its third year and much of the world’s attention is now focused on the conflicts in the Middle East.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAlthough Mr. Biden pledged on Thursday to increase military aid for Ukraine, he stopped short of authorizing Kyiv to fire Western-made long-range missiles into Russia, something the Ukrainians have long pleaded for.
Persuading Mr. Trump to continue supporting Ukraine if he is re-elected might prove even more arduous. At several public events, the Republican candidate has vowed to end the war quickly, even if that means having Ukraine cede large swaths of territory to Russia.
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