Trump turns on Zelenskyy, leaving Ukraine few options amid war

Donald Trump’s turn against Volodymyr Zelenskyy leaves Ukraine no good alternatives as it heads into the fourth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

The Ukrainian president can try to fight on against Kremlin forces without the backing of the country that had been its chief ally and arms supplier, relying instead on what assistance Europe can offer. Or he can accept whatever deal Trump may reach in his fast-moving embrace of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

For months, Zelenskyy has tried to walk a fine line between reaching out to Trump, who promised a quick agreement to end the war, and standing up for his nation’s demand that it be included in any discussions leading to an accord. That balancing act got harder last week, when Trump spoke to Putin by phone and informed Zelenskyy — and his Ukrainian allies — only afterward.

Any remaining hopes seemed to fade Wednesday when Trump, embracing the Kremlin’s narrative, denounced Zelenskyy as a “dictator.” Trump warned in a social media post that the Ukrainian leader had “better move fast” to reach a deal with Russia “or he is not going to have a Country left.”

Together with Trump’s outreach to Putin, the comments seemed to mark a dramatic repudiation of years of U.S. support of Ukraine, even if they may have been Trump’s latest hardball negotiating tactics. He repeated the attacks in a speech Wednesday evening, accusing Zelenskyy of wanting to prolong the war — one that’s devastated his country and killed tens of thousands.

Some of Kyiv’s supporters in Congress called his statements a betrayal, and stunned allies in Europe offered backing for Zelenskyy. But there was little sign of any concrete action to slow Trump’s rush to make a deal.

“A forced capitulation of Ukraine would mean a capitulation of the whole community of the West. With all the consequences of this fact,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on social media. “And let no-one pretend that they don’t see this.”

U.S. officials defended Trump’s approach.

“President Trump is driving this very quickly,” national security adviser Mike Waltz said on Fox News. “Some people may not like the order that it’s happening, but you have to talk to both sides to get both sides to the table, and that’s what we’re doing.”

Waltz was one of three top officials Trump dispatched to Saudi Arabia for talks Tuesday with their Russian counterparts — and without Ukraine or European allies. Trump said Tuesday he thinks he might meet Putin for a summit before the end of the month. So far, however, he hasn’t taken any public steps to cut off remaining support to Ukraine.

“It certainly is possible that President Trump could decide simply to abandon Ukraine, and I think there are probably people in the administration who would be satisfied with that,” said Christopher Chivvis, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“But it’s also possible that this is part of a negotiating tactic to soften Ukraine up as much as possible in order to make it more likely that they will accept what is bound to be a very difficult agreement that comes out of the negotiation that has now started with Russia,” he added.

Ukraine’s army is now Europe’s largest and most capable — aside from Russia’s — but it relies on the U.S. for intelligence and arms, as well as financial support. European allies have also contributed weapons but don’t have the militaries or industries needed to replace the U.S.

“Let’s be honest: Without the U.S., it will be very difficult for us,” General Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, told Poland’s Defence24 on Wednesday.

Boris Johnson, the former UK prime minister known for his Trump-like fondness for provocative statements, appealed for calm in the face of Trump’s comments, saying they’re intended to “shock Europeans into action.”

The attacks on Zelenskyy also may be an attempt by Trump to heighten the pressure on Kyiv to agree to a deal to sign over to the U.S. what could be billions in future profits from mineral rights. The president last week sent Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to present a draft agreement that would have signed over half of the value of Ukraine’s mineral and other resources for American economic support.

Zelenskyy turned down the offer, which included no detail of the proposed U.S. support, calling it “not a serious conversation.”

Trump Wednesday claimed that Zelenskyy’s government “broke” the deal, which was never signed.

Still, late Wednesday, Zelenskyy held out hope for “constructive” ties with the U.S., a day before he’s scheduled to meet U.S. Special Representative Keith Kellogg in Kyiv.

That followed a bitter back-and-forth with Trump, who began his attacks late Tuesday when he blamed Zelenskyy for not reaching an accord to end the war earlier and failing to hold elections amid the fighting.

Zelenskyy fired back within hours, saying Wednesday that Trump had fallen victim to Russian “disinformation.”

Trump followed up with his social media post assailing Zelenskyy for not holding elections and resisting a deal.

Trump’s accusation of Zelenskyy being a dictator echoed comments made by Tucker Carlson, a Trump confidant, on his podcast two weeks ago. Billionaire Elon Musk, who Trump has given sweeping reach to overhaul the government, picked up the theme in a social media post Wednesday.

Even before the latest outburst, Trump’s relationship with Zelenskyy has been fraught. Trump’s first impeachment stemmed from a 2019 telephone call in which he urged the newly elected Zelenskyy to dig up compromising information on Joe Biden, his likely opponent in the 2020 election, and his son Hunter. Trump also briefly withheld nearly $400 million in aid to Ukraine.

Russian officials welcomed Trump’s approach Wednesday, after he sided with their view that Ukraine’s push for NATO membership was to blame for the conflict. “No western leader ever said that before,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. “This is a signal that he understands our position.”

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