Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he couldn’t attend Donald Trump’s inauguration ‘during the war’ but the incoming president’s son told a different story
Donald Trump Jr has dubbed Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “weirdo” for “pretending” to not want to attend his father’s inauguration after he “unofficially requested an invite three times”. The Orange Manbaby will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States at 5pm today (January 20).
The 78-year-old is expected to have a dramatic impact across the world as he plans to introduce a flurry of new domestic policies and bring in major changes to the US’s foreign strategies. The former reality TV star has already claimed responsibility for the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Palestine – despite sitting sitting President Joe Biden doing the same.
The return of the bombastic republican will also impact Russia’s war in Ukraine, as he promised to bring about a peace deal between the two nations. The rumoured peace talks are yet to take place as the relations between the incoming Trump administration and Zelensky appear to have soured.
After the comedian turned-leader of Ukraine, Zelenskyy, told American podcaster Lex Fridman he could not attend the inauguration “during the war unless President Trump invites” him, Trump Jr told his Instagram followers a different story. He wrote: “The funniest part is that he asked for an invited like three times unofficially, and each time he got turned down.
“Now he’s acting like he decided not to go himself… what a weirdo”. While convention dictates incoming US presidents do not invite foreign leaders to their inauguration, Trump has invited Chinese President Xi Jinping, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Argentinian President Javier Milei, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa and Paraguayan President Santiago Pena.
Last week, a Russian academic has warned Trump would “undermine the entire global order” if he allows Vladimir Putin to annex swathes of Ukraine. Vladislav Inozemtsev was branded a “foreign agent” by Russia in 2023 for his comments about Putin but that’s done little to silence him commenting on talks of a meeting between Vlad and the US president-elect.
Inozemtsev believes the Russian president is unlikely to sign a ceasefire or armistice without territorial concessions. He said: “If an agreement is agreed by Russia, Ukraine and Nato that gives Russia the four Ukrainian regions Putin claims and Crimea it means it will undermine the entire global order.
Since the end of World War Two there have been lots of interstate conflicts but only very marginal border changes. For example, after the Iran/Iraq war (1980-88) the border only moved slightly. When China and India fought in 1962 there were only small changes.
“If Putin gets these regions it would be an end of the post-World War Two system and it can create a huge number of international conflicts. For example, China and Taiwan as well as Pakistan and India. It would be a huge precedent for the international order but I can’t understand why Putin would accept an armistice or a ceasefire without any concessions including territory.
“He wants to destroy the post-World War Two system. If he gets the territories from Ukraine orderly and legally that will be the end of this system. That is what he wants.”
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