Some of Donald Trump’s advisers are meeting foreign officials on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly where U.S. allies are seeking to understand what a Trump win in the Nov. 5 election would mean for U.S. foreign policy.
It is unclear who has met or planned to meet with the advisers, as well as what they plan to discuss. Trump, the Republican candidate for president, held office from 2017 to 2021.
His foreign policy advisers have stated that they are cautious not to promote specific policies in private conversations or engage in talks that could undermine Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.
A firm founded by Robert O’Brien, who served as Trump’s fourth and final national security adviser, hosted a reception for high-ranking foreign diplomats on Monday night in Midtown Manhattan.
Mike Pompeo, former CIA director and secretary of state under Trump, is expected to host a separate reception on Tuesday night. Former Trump administration ambassadors are among those expected to attend.
The campaign did not address the meetings between foreign officials and Trump’s advisers when asked for comment. A representative for Pompeo also did not respond.
Opinion polls show Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, in a close race with Trump in key battleground states that will likely determine the winner. However, a new Reuters/Ipsos survey shows Harris leading nationwide by 7 percentage points.
A former Trump national security adviser revealed that he receives up to six meeting requests per day from foreign officials, particularly from central and eastern Europe.
In recent weeks, Trump has had limited interactions with foreign leaders. Some advisers have advised him to decline certain meetings so he can focus on campaigning and avoid unnecessary negative headlines during these final days of the race.
Trump had planned to meet Polish President Andrzej Duda at a Polish-American Catholic shrine near Philadelphia over the weekend but canceled due to his campaign’s decision.
While he mentioned plans last week to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and possibly Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy this week during his campaign trail speeches; these meetings have yet to occur.
During a rally in Pennsylvania on Monday evening, Trump claimed that Zelenskiy wanted Democrats to win the upcoming election.
Washington and its allies have provided significant financial assistance programs worth billions of dollars since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022 while imposing multiple rounds of sanctions against Moscow.
Trump consistently criticized U.S. aid given Ukraine as wasteful spending without expressing support for Ukraine winning its conflict against Russia—a stance causing concern among Central and Eastern European nations—while his supporters argue he possesses negotiation skills needed for peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In response Reuters’ request for comment regarding these matters; The statement referred back past remarks made by Donald trump stating ”he was ‘the only one who can get war (in Ukraine) stopped.'”
