REUTERS
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump already has a contentious relationship with Kyiv, irking the Ukrainian public and government officials with his praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Moscow-friendly views on the annexation of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine, according to American news publication Foreign Policy.
Now, invited to meet with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly this week, Trump's campaign didn't even bother to send Kyiv an RSVP, Foreign Policy wrote.
A spokesperson for the Ukrainian presidential administration told Foreign Policy they reached out to both Trump and his Democratic rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to meet with Poroshenko. According to the official, only Clinton said yes, sitting down with the president on Monday. The Trump campaign did not give a clear answer, according to the report.
Clinton met Monday with Poroshenko and they discussed the importance of continued sanctions imposed on Moscow after Russia's invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014.
According to a release from Poroshenko's office, he thanked Clinton for her continued support of Ukraine in the ongoing conflict, and the leaders agreed that "solidarity with Ukraine is important in resisting the Russian aggression."
Trump, on the other hand, has appeared at times to invite Russia's bellicose behavior towards Kyiv.