Trump’s son suggests president may walk away from Ukraine

DOHA, Qatar — Donald Trump Jr. criticized corruption in Ukraine and suggested Sunday that his father may walk away from the country if it doesn’t make peace with Russia.

Trump Jr., the eldest son of President Donald Trump, was speaking at the Doha Forum, a major gathering of government officials and other international players. Trump Jr. stressed that Ukraine has long been hamstrung by corruption in its official ranks and argued that such graft is fueling the war in both Moscow and Kyiv.

He also took shots at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader is under political threat because of a corruption investigation that has ensnared some of his top aides. One such aide, Andriy Yermak, recently resigned. Yermak often led Ukraine’s international negotiations.

Zelenskyy himself has not been accused of corruption.

“Because of the war, and because he's one of the great marketers of all times, Zelenskyy became a borderline deity, especially to the left, where he could do no wrong, he was beyond reproach,” Trump Jr. said.

When asked if the U.S. president could walk away from Ukraine, the younger Trump said, “I think he may.”

“What's good about my father, and what's unique about my father, is you don't know what he's going to do,” he added. “The fact that he's not predictable … forces everyone to actually deal in an intellectually honest capacity.”

President Trump has long had a difficult relationship with Ukraine and Zelenskyy in particular, often showing sympathy toward Russia and Russian leader Vladimir Putin instead. The Trump administration has been pushing both countries to sign on to a peace deal, but with little luck.

“We want peace. We want to stop the death,” Trump Jr. said.

Trump Jr. also defended his father’s military campaign against drug cartels, including airstrikes against boats in the Caribbean that are alleged to be carrying drugs. He said the American deaths caused by the drug cartels could not be ignored.

“That's a far greater clear and present danger to the United States than anything going on in Ukraine and Russia,” he said.

Trump Jr. appeared onstage in Doha with business partner Omeed Malik of 1789 Capital, a growth equity investment firm.

He laughed when asked if his father would run for a third term, which is constitutionally not allowed. “We’ll see what happens,” Trump Jr. said, adding that the president’s unwillingness to rule it out could be some “trolling.”

“It is funny to watch the leftist heads explode every time he brings it up,” he said.

Trump Jr.’s accusations of corruption against Ukraine are likely to anger not just Ukraine supporters but also many Democrats who view the Trump family as financially benefiting off of its own political power.

For instance, the Trump family has been expanding its financial links to Qatar and other wealthy Arab petrostates. That includes plans to build a luxury golf resort in Qatar.

President Trump, like many of his predecessors, also considers Qatar a key geostrategic ally. The country hosts a U.S. military base and has helped mediate conflicts in Gaza and beyond.

The Trump-Qatar relationship drew tremendous attention this year when the Arab state effectively gifted the administration a luxury Boeing 747 jet to be retrofitted for use as Air Force One.

In a May appearance at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha, Trump Jr. didn’t rule out a future run for president, saying, “maybe one day.”