Trump's statement on the campaign trail contrasted with the line adopted by some of his allies, who have argued Ukraine would welcome Trump back as only he - in their telling - has the acumen to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end Moscow's war on Ukraine.
"I think Zelenskiy is the greatest salesman in history," Trump said at a rally in Pennsylvania.
THANK YOU, PENNSYLVANIA! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) #MAGA2024 https://t.co/rvCXifo0Pk pic.twitter.com/aATbt4qSoeSeptember 24, 2024
"Every time he comes into the country, he walks away with 60 billion dollars.
"He wants them to win this election so badly but I would do (it) differently - I will work out peace."
In an emailed statement, Harris's campaign called out Trump for not having said he wanted Ukraine to win the war.
"Vice President Harris understands that if America walks away from Ukraine, Putin would be sitting in Kyiv with his eyes on the rest of Europe and our NATO allies," said Morgan Finkelstein, the national security spokesperson for Harris's campaign.
Zelenskiy's presidential office in Kyiv did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump gave no details of his peace plan beyond reiterating he would call Putin and Zelenskiy and urge them to work out an accord if he won the November 5 election.
Zelenskiy, in the US to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, said on Monday that decisive action by the US now could hasten the end of Russia's war against Ukraine in 2025.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy is hopeful Trump will maintain US military support for Ukraine if he wins. (AP PHOTO)
While Trump has said he would "probably" meet with Zelenskiy while he was in the country, no meeting has been set, according to people close to the former president.
Zelenskiy visited a weapons factory in Pennsylvania at the weekend alongside Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro, a Harris ally - a move that angered some Trump associates, given the visit occurred in an electoral battleground.
Americans of Eastern European descent - including Ukrainian-Americans and Polish-Americans - have become a sought-after voting bloc for both campaigns, particularly in Pennsylvania, which hosts significant Polish and Ukrainian populations.
Washington and its allies have provided a multi-billion dollar assistance program to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, while also imposing several rounds of sanctions against Moscow.
Trump has consistently described US aid to Ukraine as a waste of money and declined to say he wanted Ukraine to win.
While Trump and Zelenskiy talked over the phone in July, they have not talked in person since Trump's 2017-2021 term.
Zelenskiy has previously said he could not predict what Trump would do if he won in November, but hoped the Republican would maintain US military support for Ukraine.
Vice President Kamala Harris is due to campaign in the state of Pennsylvania on Wednesday. (AP PHOTO)
In a July interview with the BBC, Zelenskiy said working with Trump would be "hard work, but we are hard workers".
The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people, uprooted millions more and devastated Ukrainian towns and cities.
Putin says peace talks can begin only if Kyiv abandons swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine to Russia and drops its NATO membership ambitions.
Zelenskiy has called repeatedly for a withdrawal of all Russian troops and the restoration of Ukraine's post-Soviet borders.
Harris is also visiting Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
Trump leads among likely voters in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, outpacing Harris six weeks before the November 5 presidential election, a New York Times/Siena College poll suggested.
Trump bested his Democratic rival 50 per cent to 45 per cent in Arizona last week, 49 per cent to 45 per cent in Georgia and 49 per cent to 47 per cent in North Carolina, according to the poll that echoed other recent polls showing a close contest.
with AP
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