President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged in an interview published on Thursday that a victory for Donald Trump in the US election in November would be difficult for his country but Ukrainians were prepared.
Trump’s choice of Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate has underscored how Washington’s stand on Ukraine, locked in a 28-month-old war with Russia, could change if he won the election. Vance is on record in an interview as saying “I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other.”
Zelensky, speaking to the BBC while attending the European Political Community meeting in London, noted the comment, but added: “Maybe he really doesn’t care, but we have to work with the United States.”
Trump’s election, he said in remarks on the BBC website, would be “hard work, but we are hard workers.”
The administration of Joe Biden has provided weapons and supplies throughout the conflict, though the flow of assistance was halted for months by disputes within the US Congress.
Trump has said during the campaign that, once elected, he would bring the conflict to an end even before taking office by securing a deal at the negotiating table. He said there would have been no conflict at all had he been in office when Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
In other comments to the BBC, Zelensky said Ukraine was thankful for pledges from its partners to supply F-16 fighter jets, most likely this summer, though they had not yet arrived.
“It’s been 18 months and the planes have not reached us,” Zelensky told the BBC.
The planes, he said, were essential to help Ukrainians resist Russia’s aerial dominance and “unblock the skies.”
He said he anticipated no change in Britain’s support for Ukraine, but hoped new Prime Minister Keir Starmer would “become special — speaking about international politics, about defending world security, about the war in Ukraine.”
Ukraine, he said, “doesn’t just need a new page, we need power to turn this leaf.”
Ukraine’s Zelensky to BBC: We have to work with the US
https://arab.news/jrhgw
Ukraine’s Zelensky to BBC: We have to work with the US
- Zelensky's comments comes as the chances of Trump’s becoming US president looks more certain
- Trump's choice of VP, Senator J.D. Vance, has said he "don't really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other”
Norway’s King Harald to stay in hospital to treat infection: doctor
- The king was taken to hospital while on holiday on the Spanish island
- “The infection stems from a skin infection on one of his legs,” the doctor said
OSLO: Norway’s King Harald V will have to stay in hospital in Tenerife for a few days because of leg infection, but the 89-year-old monarch’s health is generally good, his personal doctor said Wednesday.
The king was taken to hospital while on holiday on the Spanish island, suffering from an infection and dehydration.
“The king’s overall health is good and he is responding well to treatment. The infection stems from a skin infection on one of his legs,” the doctor, Bjorn Bendz, said in a royal statement.
“The king will remain in hospital for a few more days for observation and continued treatment,” he added.
Europe’s oldest monarch was admitted to Hospital Universitario Hospiten Sur in Tenerife on Tuesday evening. He was on a private visit with his wife, Queen Sonja, 88, and celebrated his latest birthday on Saturday.
“When people who are nearly 90 are admitted to hospital for an infection, it’s a serious situation,” said Bendz.
“It is important that we have a good overview and full control of his state of health before the king can leave hospital — even if his condition is stable at the moment,” he added.
Harald, who has been king since 1991, has suffered health problems in recent years that have forced him to scale back his official schedule. But he has always ruled out abdicating.
During a private trip to Malaysia two years ago, he picked up an infection and was taken to hospital before being flown home after having a pacemaker fitted.
Harald’s health worries come as the Norwegian monarchy is confronting scandals.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit, who married Harald’s son, Crown Prince Haakon, in 2001, appears multiple times in documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein, revealing an unsuspected closeness with the late American sex offender.
Mette-Marit’s son from a previous relationship, Marius Borg Hoiby, is on trial on 38 charges in Oslo, including four rapes and assaults. The 29-year-old, who is not a member of the royal family, denies the most serious charges.
The popularity of the Norwegian royal family has fallen to its lowest level, according to a poll published on Saturday by public broadcaster NRK.
Only 60 percent of the population supports the monarchy — 10 percent less than the previous month. NRK said the support “has never been so low.”
Harald, however, is a popular unifying figure, scoring 9.2 out of 10, the survey suggested.
