In the months leading up to the US election last fall, the prospects for the second Trump presidency deepened uncertainty among Ukrainians about how American support could prove lasting American support in a war that threatens their national survival.
After President Volodimia Zelensky's tragic meeting with President Trump at the White House on Friday, many Ukrainians were moving towards what appears to be completely clear. Trump chose the side, but it's not Ukraine.
At one amazing conference, the once-unconceived fear of Ukraine being forced to engage in a long war with a stronger enemy without US support seemed exponentially closer to reality.
“It's not a great way for Ukraine, but it's clear,” Phillips O'Brien, a professor of international relations at St Andrews University in Scotland, said in an interview. “Ukraine can only rely on European states for the support they need to fight.”
German President Frank Walter Steinmeier said on Saturday that Europe must stand with Ukraine to prevent the country from “accepting conquest.”
“A White House scene yesterday gave me a breath.” He boarded the plane and told the German press. “We could not believe that Ukraine had to be protected from the United States.”
The immediate result was that Ukrainians, including opposition politicians, were generally supportive of Zelensky on Saturday for not bending on Trump despite incredible pressure.
Civilian Melina Shomack, whose son's cancer diagnosis was complicated by the Russian missile strike, caused by the destruction of Ukraine's largest pediatric cancer hospital, said Zelensky did herself with dignity.
“They came together with one goal of putting pressure on us and undermining our authority at the global political stage,” she said of Trump and his team.
Zelensky signaled on Saturday that he had not completely given up on his hopes of repairing his relationship with Trump. Posting on social media, he went out of his way to thank the US. Perhaps they were trying to deal with Trump's complaints that he was ungrateful on Friday.
“I am grateful to President Trump, the bipartisan support of Congress, and the Americans,” he writes. “Ukrainians have always appreciated this support, especially during the last three years of full-scale invasion.”
At the same time, Zelensky began to lay the foundations for moving forward for the European countries that stood beside Kiev. Ukraine announced plans for a joint arms venture with France on Saturday. France will be funded by interest obtained from frozen Russian assets.
Later that day, Mr. Zelensky met with British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer. Britain was a supporter of the Ukrainian president in the face of Trump's harsh responsibilities.
In stark contrast to Friday's meeting in Washington, the visit to 10 Downing Street began with a warm handshake and a short embrace. It included a promise to the Ukrainian president that “You have full support in the UK, we are with you and Ukraine, and as long as it is necessary, we are standing with you and Ukraine.”
On Sunday, Zelensky will be attending the summit of European leaders hosted by Starmer.
Professor O'Brien, a scholar at St. Andrew, focused on the shocking tone and theatre of the dressing down that the US president delivered to his putative allies, but Trump's comments suggested that the roots of the public burst flowed deeper.
“He was trying to pressure Zelensky to agree to a ceasefire along Putin's line, but Professor Zelensky said, referring to Russian President Vladimir V. Putin. “Trump comes out and at the end it's explicit.”
Trump cried to the Ukrainian leader, “You are buried there,” and said, “You are dying. You are running soldiers low.”
When Zelensky tried to protect himself, Trump spoke about him.
“No, listen,” he continued. “And you say to us, 'I don't want a ceasefire. I don't want a ceasefire.”
Professor O'Brien said he opposed the exchange, reflecting Trump's belief that “Ukraine should silently take Trump and Putin terms.”
The real humiliation that prompted the spectacle that many Ukrainians and analysts believe is that Zelensky opposed some of Trump's terms.
Along the front line, some soldiers said they were sinking because Trump probably wouldn't help Ukraine. “Trump chose his side in this war,” Pvt said. Serhiy Hnezdilov in a frontline phone interview on Saturday.
Private Hunezdyrov supported Zelensky's stance, adding that he thought attempts to humiliate Ukrainian leaders were probably the goal of an invitation to the White House.
“The scandal we witnessed was essentially the sole purpose of the meeting,” Private said. “It seemed totally ridiculous given that Ukrainians have always seen America as an example of democracy and, most importantly, a value.”
The Ukrainians may have been naive, he added.
Still, many Ukrainians were shaken by their dropouts in Washington, and Zelensky on Saturday tried to reassure the nation that had endured his war.
“The Ukrainian people need to know that they are not alone. They know that their interests are expressed in every corner of the world and every corner of the world,” he said in a statement.
European leaders have used social media to keep Ukraine support voiced, and Zelensky offered his personal thanks while reposting all the statements.
But Zelensky acknowledged that losing US military support would be a devastating blow.
“It's going to be difficult for us,” he told Fox News after a White House meeting. “That's why I'm here.”
Despite statements from Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican of South Carolina, Zelensky's domestic position appeared to be steadily retaining its position shortly after the meeting. “I don't know if we can do business,” Graham said days after celebrating the Ukrainian leader as an ideal ally.
Zelensky received public signals of support from Ukrainian Parliament President Ruslan Stefanchuk, who is expected to hold a presidency if Zelensky resigns. “Full support for the Ukrainian president!” Stefanchuk wrote in a social media post.
Zelensky also supported the opposition figures.
“I don't fully agree with President Zelensky's policies, but I have to say I am truly grateful to him for enduring this pressure,” said Natalia Pipa, a member of the Horos Congress, in an interview.
“Trump was disgusting and acting sly,” she added.
According to politicians and analysts, the future path for Ukraine was to try and repair relations with the US. There, defence contractors are constituencies that are interested in ongoing American support, seeking to strengthen support in Europe. Zelensky also appears to be intended for Trump to deal directly with Putin, but Zelensky is looking to gain a role in negotiating a peace reconciliation.
But the rage directed at Zelensky in the oval office opposed the tense background that Trump is increasingly aligned with the Kremlin, both in words and in his actions.
Trump received the phone call with Putin on February 12 for a 90-minute chat, which he calls Zelensky a “dictator.” He falsely accused Ukraine of starting a war. He then urged Ukrainian leaders to meet his administration's demands, posting that he “should move faster or he wouldn't leave the country.”
Last week, the State Department ended its initiative that invested hundreds of millions of dollars to restore Ukraine's energy grid after an attack by Russian forces.
While putting pressure on Kiev, Trump says he “loves” Russia to return to a group of seven – the world's wealthiest large democracies, and “it was a mistake to abandon them.”
He provided Putin's generous concessions to NATO and Ukrainian territory, and repeated the Kremlin's call for elections in Ukraine, even before talks began.
The White House also cut funding for democratic programs as part of its efforts to dismantle USAID, a move the Kremlin praised.
The Trump administration also provides public support for far-right European parties known for their support in Moscow, including the German AFD.
US Attorney General Pam Bondy has also dissolved the FBI Task Force, focusing on investigating foreign impact operations, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegses ordered Russia to be removed as a target for the US cybersecurity plan.
Washington also sided with Moscow in a vote at the United Nations, which would have condemned Russian invasion on the third anniversary of the Ukrainian invasion. They joined a small group of states, including North Korea and Belarus, and invaded with their allies.
Ukrainians who have endured years of loss and suffering have only hoped to put an end to the war, but Zelensky argues that it is not when prices are their freedom.
Natalka Sosnytska, program coordinator for The Behind Blue Eyes Project, is a Ukrainian organization supporting the trauma of war, and has reiterated the sentiment. “Of course we want peace, but only after victory,” she said. “Standing on his ground, Zelensky preserved our dignity as a nation.”
Liubov Sholudko and Yurii syvala Reports of contributions.
