In their first and perhaps only debate ahead of the US presidential election in November, the two candidates – Donald Trump, the former president, and Kamala Harris, the current vice president – squared off over Ukraine with Trump saying that had he been president the Russia’s Ukraine invasion would never have happened and Harris saying that Putin would already be in Kyiv and preparing to attack Poland had Trump been in office.

Trump

Trump, whose meandering answers often ignored the moderators’ prompts, made the Tuesday US presidential debate’s first reference to Ukraine while answering a question about Gaza.

“If I were president [the invasion of Ukraine] would have never started. If I were president Russia would have never, ever – I know [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin very well. He would have never – and there was no threat of it either, by the way, for four years, have gone into Ukraine and killed millions of people when you add it up,” the former president said.

Trump, returning to the initial question of Gaza before snaking back to Ukraine, concluded his remarks by saying: “I’ll get the war with Ukraine and Russia ended. If I’m president-elect, I’ll get it done before even becoming president.”

When the focus on the debate fell on Ukraine, Trump evaded the moderator’s question as to whether he agreed with the Biden Administration’s position “that we must defend Ukraine from Russia, from Vladimir Putin, to defend their sovereignty, their democracy, that it’s in America’s best interest to do so, arguing that if Putin wins, he may be emboldened to move even further into other countries,” leading to a dramatic showdown between the moderator and Trump.

“I want to ask you a very simple question tonight,” said the moderator, drilling Trump to give a clear answer, “Do you want Ukraine to win this war?”

Trump responded: “I want the war to stop. I want to save lives that are being uselessly – people being killed by the millions. It’s the millions.”

“Do you believe it’s in the US’ best interests for Ukraine to win this war? Yes or no?” insisted the moderator.

Trump, hawing, declined to say that he thinks that Ukraine winning is in America’s interests, simply repeating that he viewed it as “the US best interest to get this war finished and just get it done. All right. Negotiate a deal.”

So how would a deal be negotiated by Washington, between Moscow and Kyiv?

Trump, again scant on details, only repeated that he knows “Putin very well” and also knows “[Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky very well,” as they have “have a good relationship. And they respect your president. Okay? They respect me. They don’t respect Biden,” before leading into a diatribe against the policies of the incumbent. 

Defending his decision to not back Ukraine, Trump said that Putin has nuclear weapons.

“Eventually uh maybe he’ll use them. Maybe he hasn’t been that threatening. But he does have that,” before the former president drifted off into blaming Harris for not negotiating a peace between Russia and Ukraine before Russia’s surprise full-scale invasion began.

Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris, who aggressively prodded Trump throughout the debate, said that she had met and shared American intelligence with Zelensky before Russia’s full-scale invasion and worked to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank as part of the global effort that “brought 50 countries together to support Ukraine in its righteous defense. And because of our support, because of the air defense, the ammunition, the artillery, the Javelins, the Abrams tanks that we have provided, Ukraine stands as an independent and free country.”

Harris said that “If Donald Trump were president, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now. And understand what that would mean. Because Putin’s agenda is not just about Ukraine. Understand why the European allies and our NATO allies are so thankful that you are no longer president and that we understand the importance of the greatest military alliance the world has ever known, which is NATO. And what we have done to preserve the ability of Zelensky and the Ukrainians to fight for their Independence.”

Harris said that a Putin victory over Ukraine would leave the Russian leader “sitting in Kyiv with his eyes on the rest of Europe. Starting with Poland.”

Making hay of the debate’s location, in the key toss-up state of Pennsylvania, Harris goaded Trump, “Why don’t you tell the 800,000 Polish Americans right here in Pennsylvania how quickly you would give up for the sake of a favor and what you think is a friendship with what is known to be a dictator who would eat you for lunch.”

Harris, saying that she had met with Zelensky more than five times, argued that the US role in the world depended on America’s “ability to look out for our friends and not favor our enemies because you adore strongmen instead of caring about democracy. And that is very much what is at stake here. The president of the United States is commander-in-chief,” someone who should know “America’s role and responsibility in terms of ensuring that there is stability and ensuring we stand up for our principles and not sell them for the benefit of personal flattery.”