Trump praises Zelenskyy's actions during 2019 Trump impeachment attempt before their talks

Before his meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump has stated that they shared a "great relationship" and commended Zelenskyy for his actions during the impeachment attempt against Trump in 2019.

In a brief exchange with the press prior to the meeting, Trump was asked about his expectations.

He responded by stating that "Ukraine is going through hell" and described the situation as "terrible". He then praised Zelenskyy for his conduct during the attempted impeachment of Trump, which was related to allegations of Trump pressuring Ukraine for military aid shortly after Zelenskyy assumed his presidency.

"He said President Trump did absolutely nothing wrong. He said it very loud and clear. And the impeachment hawks died right there. He could have said, 'I don't know'. But he was... like a piece of steel, he said: 'President Trump did nothing wrong'," Trump said.

He further remarked that he and Zelenskyy share a "very good relationship" and immediately echoed the same sentiment regarding his relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, noting that he sees an opportunity to swiftly negotiate an end to the war.

The meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump at Trump Tower in New York follows a day of heightened tensions, during which Trump supporters accused the Ukrainian president of "interfering in the election" by criticising Trump's peace plan to support Biden. Additionally, House Speaker Mike Johnson declined to meet with Zelenskyy.

Initially, the meeting was believed to be unlikely to take place, but at the last minute, Trump agreed to it.