The first debate between the US presidential candidates, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris, took place in Philadelphia. The debate addressed Ukraine as a separate issue. There was some debate about how to end the war.
This was reported in a Voice of America briefing.
In particular, it is reported that former President Trump twice evaded the question of whether he wants Ukraine to win the current war against Russia, and Kamala Harris accused her opponent of wanting to surrender Ukraine to flatter dictators.
Political experts agree, that Ukraine can expect changes in US international policy after the presidential elections. They assess both the impact of a possible second Donald Trump presidency, which is not the best scenario for Ukraine, and the unpredictable future Harris administration, which did not pay much attention to Ukraine during the election campaign.
Key quotes from the opponents on Ukraine
During the debate, there were questions about whether the opponents wanted Ukraine to win this war and whether this victory was in the interest of the United States. They were also interested in how the relationship with Putin would be built. Below are the main points made by the presidential candidates regarding Ukraine.
Republican candidate Donald Trump:
"I want to end the war. I want to save lives. People are being killed by the millions. It's a lot worse than the numbers they're showing you. And we've spent 250 billion or more because Biden and Kamala don't have the courage to say to Europe, as I said to NATO, 'Either you pay up or we're not going to defend you. ... I know Zelensky very well, I know Putin very well. I have a good relationship with them, and they respect me. They do not respect Biden. Why should they respect him? ... I will decide that before I become president, if I win. I will talk to one, I will talk to the other, I will bring them together. This war would never have happened. Biden had no idea how to stop it, and now millions of people have died and it's only getting worse. This could lead to World War III - and we don't even know where our president is. They threw him out of the campaign like a dog. We don't even know if he's still president!"
"It is in the best interest of the United States to end this war, to resolve it, to negotiate an agreement. We have to stop the destruction of all these lives."
"Putin would be sitting in Moscow. He would not have lost 300,000 men and women, and he would be sitting in Moscow a lot happier than he is now. But at the end of the day, he has something that nobody else has, he has nuclear weapons - and nobody is talking about it! And maybe he will use them. But just so you understand, they sent Kamala to peace talks before the war started. Three days later Putin invaded because everything she said was weak and stupid. She was an envoy! She was sent to negotiate with Zelensky and Putin and three days later the war started, that's her talent. In my opinion she is worse than Biden. She is a terrible negotiator."
Democratic candidate Kamala Harris:
"Donald Trump says this war will be over in 24 hours because he will just give it up. And that's not who we are as Americans. Let's get this straight. I met with Zelensky a few days before the Russian invasion. I gave him U.S. intelligence on how he could have defended himself. A few days later, I went to the eastern flank of NATO, to Poland and Romania, and we united 50 countries to support Ukraine in its righteous defense. And thanks to our support, thanks to the air defense, the ammunition, the artillery, the Javelins, the Abrams that we provided, Ukraine stands as an independent and free country. If Donald Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now looking at the rest of Europe, starting with Poland."
"When I met with Zelensky, and I've met with him five times now... It was about America being a leader that plays by international rules. A leader that shows strength and recognizes that alliances around the world depend on our ability to take care of our friends and not favor our enemies. ... The president of the United States is the commander in chief, and the American people have a right to rely on a president who understands the importance of America's role and responsibility - and who will stand up for our principles, not sell them out for personal flattery."
Author: Inna Mikhno