"I have been friends and continue to be friends with President Trump. At one point, he mentioned that I am an icon for the whole world in the fight against corruption and for reforms globally. He joked that it’s a good thing I cannot run for president of the United States, as it would pose challenges for him. It was a joke, but yes – I know President Trump,” the politician stated. “I understand that there are many opinions about his performances right now."
Saaakashvili expressed that he considers Trump to be very intelligent, comparing Zelensky to former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
"It should be noted that he is a very smart person and not crazy at all. He has his own style and approach. He genuinely wants to end this war, but on the other hand, we have the true Churchill of our time – President Zelensky. I want to remind you that during World War II, Churchill initially had difficult negotiations with the then President of the United States [Franklin] Roosevelt. He spent about a year or a year and a half convincing Roosevelt to support the anti-Hitler coalition. Of course, he annoyed many in the United States, but the anti-Hitler coalition worked."
Saaakashvili expressed confidence that Ukraine needs a methodical dialogue with the United States.
"We need to communicate with everyone, and the world will be and remain on Ukraine's side,” he added. “We need to work methodically. Once again, I’ll say: Trump is a very smart person, but there are Ukrainian interests to consider."
The former president of Georgia emphasized that Ukraine needs to collaborate with the United States.
"We have no other allies. We need to work with the United States, we need to work with President Trump, we need to listen to each other and move forward. We simply have no other alternative,” he concluded.