News Feed, United States, Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky, Assassination

Zelensky denounces apparent assassination attempt on Trump

by Martin Fornusek and The Kyiv Independent news desk September 16, 2024 12:40 PM 2 min read

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, on Sept. 13, 2024. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Robyn Beck / AFP via Getty Images)

This audio is created with AI assistance

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sept. 16 denounced a recent apparent assassination attempt on U.S. presidential candidate and ex-President Donald Trump.

"I am glad to hear that Donald Trump is safe and unharmed. My best wishes to him and his family," Zelensky said on X.

"It's good that the suspect in the assassination attempt was apprehended quickly. This is our principle: the rule of law is paramount and political violence has no place anywhere in the world."

The Secret Service on Sept. 15 opened fire after seeing an armed individual at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while Trump was playing golf. Trump was unharmed, and the FBI is investigating the incident as another assassination attempt against the Republican presidential candidate.

The suspect detained in connection to the attack was identified as 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh. Based on his social media activity, Routh has cast himself as a supporter of Ukraine and spoke to the New York Times in 2023 about a scheme to recruit Afghan soldiers to fight for Kyiv.

It is unclear whether Routh managed to recruit any volunteers for Ukraine. The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify his claims.

The International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine, a military unit composed of foreign volunteers, rejected any connections to Routh.

"We would like to clarify that Ryan Wesley Routh has never been part of, associated with, or linked to the International Legion in any capacity," the Legion said in a comment for Euronews.

"Any claims or suggestions indicating otherwise are entirely inaccurate."

Trump was previously targeted in an assassination attempt on July 13 during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The incident sparked a wave of pro-Kremlin propaganda falsely blaming Democrats for the plot against Trump.

There are fears that Routh's apparent support for Ukraine will likely further inflame Russian disinformation narratives ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Multiple reports indicated that Russia would seek to interfere in the upcoming vote by backing Trump and turning the American public against supporting Ukraine.

Authors: Martin Fornusek, The Kyiv Independent news desk

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