Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday condemned political violence after an apparent assassination attempt against Donald Trump, allegedly carried out by a suspect who had travelled to Ukraine to support the war effort.
US media named Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, as the suspect arrested after US Secret Service agents “opened fire on a gunman” carrying an AK-47 style rifle near the boundary of Trump’s Florida golf course where the former president was playing golf on Sunday.
“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,” Zelensky said, addressing his best wishes to Trump and his family.
Routh had previously expressed support for Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion.
AFP interviewed Routh in Kyiv in late April 2022, while he was taking part in a demonstration in support of Ukrainians trapped in the port city of Mariupol.
But Ukrainian officials have distanced themselves from Routh. “He did not serve here and has no ties to state structures, that’s for sure. He entered Ukraine as a nobody, just a supporter, there are many people like this,” a high ranking Ukrainian official speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP.
Ukraine’s International Legion composed of foreign volunteers also denied any links, saying the suspect had not served with them and had “no relation to the unit”.
The United States has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022.
President Joe Biden will be replaced next January either by his Vice President Kamala Harris, who has indicated she will continue his policies of backing Ukraine, or by Trump, who would not say at a debate earlier this week whether he wanted Kyiv to win the war.
