Foreign leaders react as Donald Trump wins 2024 U.S. election
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Zelenskyy Holds 'Excellent' Phone Call With Trump
Above: US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hold a meeting in New York, September 25, 2019, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Image copyright: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he held "an excellent" phone call with Pres.-Elect Donald Trump hours after his "historic landslide victory" on Wednesday.
Zelenskyy said he praised Trump's family and team "for their great work," adding that the pair "agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation." He further stated: "Strong and unwavering US leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace."
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Despite Ukraine's Zelenskyy putting on a brave face, the election of Trump is devastating news for his country, and is a massive gift to Putin and the Kremlin. Trump's insistence on rapidly striking a deal would likely force Ukraine to hand over vast swaths of territory, and mean that it would be non-aligned with NATO, both of which are unacceptable.
Establishment-critical narrative
Irrespective of who won the US election, Ukraine is losing the war and is now losing territory at the fastest rate seen in the conflict. Democratic leadership would have prolonged the war with the provision of more weapons, only increasing the nation's suffering; at least under Trump there's a good chance the conflict will be brought to a speedy close, stopping thousands of Ukrainian soldiers from dying unnecessarily.