Last fall, in the months of the U.S. election, the prospect of a second Trump presidency deepened uncertainty over how enduring U.S. support would prove in a war that threatens the survival of its nation.
After President Vorodimir Zelenski's disastrous meeting with President Trump on Friday, many Ukrainians are moving toward a seemingly clear conclusion: Mr. Trump chose one side, and it's not Ukraine.
In a jaw-dropping meeting, the once unimaginable fear of Ukraine being forced to fight a longer war with a stronger rival without the support of the United States, seems to bring exponentially closer to reality.
“It's not very good for Ukraine, though,” said Phillips O'Brien, a professor of international relations at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, in an interview. “Ukraine can only rely on European countries to fight now.”
A direct result is that Ukrainians, including opposition politicians, generally supported Mr. Zelensky on Saturday because despite the pressure, they did not bend over Mr. Trump.
Maryna Schomak, a civilian whose son's cancer diagnosis complicated Ukraine's largest childhood cancer hospital due to a Russian missile strike, said Mr. Zelensky carried out his own actions with dignity.
“They gathered a goal – putting pressure on us on the global political arena and undermining our power,” she said of Mr. Trump and his team.
Mr. Zelensky said on Saturday that he has not completely abandoned his hopes of a relationship with Mr. Trump. Posted on social media, he went out of his way to thank the United States, perhaps trying to file a complaint from Mr. Trump on Friday, saying he was ungrateful.
“I thank President Trump, the bipartisan support of Congress and the American people,” he wrote. “The Ukrainians have always appreciated this support, especially during the three years of full-scale invasion.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Zelensky began to lay the foundation for European countries on the side of Kiev. Ukraine announced on Saturday that it plans to conduct a joint weapons joint venture with France, which will be funded by interest earned from frozen Russian assets.
Later that day, Mr. Zelensky was scheduled to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, facing Mr. Trump's severe condemnation, who has been a supporter of the Ukrainian president. On Sunday, Mr. Zelensky will attend a summit of European leaders hosted by Mr. Starmer.
While most of the focus is on the shocking tone and drama of the seasoning delivered to presumed allies by the U.S. president, Professor O'Brien, a scholar at St. Andrew, said Mr. Trump's comments suggest that the roots of the public rupture are deeper.
“He is trying to put pressure on Zelensky to agree to a ceasefire along Putin's line, and Zelensky refused,” Professor O'Brien said. “Trump came out and finally said it explicitly.”
Mr. Trump shouted to the Ukrainian leader: “You are buried there,” and said: “Your people are dying. Your soldiers are running and falling.”
Mr. Zelensky spoke to him as he tried to defend himself.
“No, listen.” He continued. “And you tell us, 'I don't want a ceasefire. I don't want a ceasefire.'”
Professor O'Brien said the exchange reflected Mr. Trump's belief: “Ukraine should shut up and take the terms of Trump and Putin.”
Many Ukrainians and analysts believe that the real offense that prompted the wonder is that Mr. Zelensky opposes certain terms of Mr. Trump.
Along the frontline, some soldiers said, realizing that Trump might not help Ukraine. “Trump chose his side in this war,” Pvt said. Serhiy Hnezdilov conducted a phone interview from the front on Saturday.
Hnezdilov privately said he supported Mr Zelensky's position, adding that he believed that attempts to humiliate Ukrainian leaders might be the target of inviting the White House.
“The scandal we witnessed is essentially the sole purpose of this conference,” said privately. “Thinking of us, Ukrainians have always viewed the United States as a democracy and most importantly an example of values, which seems totally ridiculous.”
He added that Ukrainians may be naive.
Still, many Ukrainians are in trouble in Washington’s public, and Mr. Zelensky tried to reassure his war state on Saturday.
“People in Ukraine need to know that they are not alone and that their interests are represented in every country and every corner of the world,” he said in a statement.
Leaders across Europe expressed their support for Ukraine to social media, and Mr. Zelensky expressed his gratitude as he reposted them.
But Mr. Zelensky did admit that losing U.S. military support would be a devastating blow.
“It will be difficult for us,” he told Fox News after the White House meeting. “That's why I'm here.”
Despite a statement from South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, Mr. Zelensky's internal status seemed to remain stable immediately after the meeting, calling for Mr. Zelensky to resign or be fired. “I don't know if we can do business,” Mr Graham said, only a few days after praising the Ukrainian leader as his ideal ally.
Mr. Zelensky received a public signal from Ukrainian Parliament President Ruslan Stefanchuk that if Mr. Zelensky resigned, he would take up the presidency. “Full support for the Ukrainian president!” Mr Stefanchuk wrote in a social media post.
Opposition figures also support Mr. Zelensky.
“While I don’t quite agree with President Zelensky’s policies, I must say that I really appreciate him for the pressure,” Holos Party MP Natalia Pipa said in an interview.
She added: “Trump’s behavior is disgusting and condescending.”
Politicians and analysts say Ukraine’s path forward is to try to repair relations with the United States, where defense contractors are an electoral district interested in continuing the U.S.-backed support while trying to support European support. Mr. Zelensky will also try to play a role in the negotiations for a peaceful settlement, although Mr. Trump appears to intend to deal with Putin directly.
But the anger against Mr. Zelensky in the Oval Office is amid a tense backdrop, with Mr. Trump increasingly aligning with the Kremlin.
Since Mr. Trump chatted with Mr. Putin for 90 minutes on February 12, he has called Mr. Zelensky a “dictator”. Mistaken accusation of starting the war; and urged Ukraine's leaders to join the government's demands and issued him “move better, otherwise he would not leave a country.”
Last week, the State Department terminated an initiative that had invested hundreds of millions of dollars to help restore Ukraine's energy grid after the Russian military attack.
In putting pressure on Kiev, Mr. Trump said he “loved” to return Russia to seven, a gathering of the world's wealthiest large democracies – and throwing them away was a mistake. ”
He even offered Mr. Putin generous concessions to NATO and Ukrainian territory before the negotiations began and repeated the Kremlin's call for elections in Ukraine.
The White House also cut funds as part of its efforts to demolish the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a move the Kremlin celebrated.
The Trump administration also provided public support to European far-right parties to support Moscow, including Germany's AFD.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi also disbanded an FBI task force focused on investigating foreign influence, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered Russia to be removed as a target for U.S. cybersecurity programs.
Washington also voted one by the United Nations for Moscow, a vote to mark the Russian aggression on the third anniversary of Ukrainian invasion – breaking with allies to join a small group of countries including North Korea and Belarus.
The Ukrainians suffered years of losses and suffering, hoping only to see the end of the war, but if the price was their freedom, Mr. Zelensky insisted.
Natalka Sosnytska is the program coordinator for Blue Eyes Project, a Ukrainian organization that helps war trauma children, responding to this sentiment. “Of course, we want peace, but only after we win,” she said. “By standing in his position, Zelensky retains our dignity as a nation.”
Liubov Sholudko and Yurii Shyvala Contribution report.
