When the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessin, traveled to Kiev this month, President Voludimir Zelinski wanted to sign an agreement to give up metal rights to the United States and achieve a rapid victory for the Trump administration.
But Mr. Zelinski had a request on his own: a meeting with President Trump, to end a deal that he hoped to ensure continued American support. He said: “I hope that in the near future, the document will be ready, and we can sign it during a meeting with President Trump.”
During a three -year crucible of wartime leadership, Mr. Zellinski often played with wisely weak hands, as when he came out of a hideout while his capital was bombed early in the war to film personal clips that brought his mother and the world to resist. He also resulted in his nicknames in talks that remained on billions of dollars in weapons and ammunition coming to his army.
But his approach to the Trump administration has fallen with the White House, which is born not sympathy but hostility from the American president. His request has turned against a presidential meeting, becoming the latest example of the dramatic personal style, which was previously an integral part of his nation’s struggle, but now it is like a monkey pain in dealing with the Trump administration.
It is strongly discussed in Ukraine whether Mr. Zellinski has made a mistake in his letters by responding to insults from Mr. Trump with some of his sorts, instead of diplomatic movement in the attacks of the US President. Despite Mr. Trump A claim that Ukraine started the war With Russia was clearly wrong, Mr. Zellinski angered by correcting the record publicly and claimed that the American president was trapped in a “network of misleading information” by the Kremlin.
Was his response a necessary defense to national interests? Or a mistake in dealing with an authorized leader who does not offer any criticism and carries the fate of Ukraine in his hands?
“If you are a statesman, you must first think about your country, not the ego,” said Costantein Yilisiev, a former diplomat and engineer for the general book used by the former Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko, told Mr. Trump.
This approach was distinguished by the offers of commercial deals for American companies and to respond to Mr. Trump’s criticism of Ukraine through dry and bureaucratic jobs on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“It is not good to criticize the leader of any nation, especially the leader of the nation, who is doing its best to help you.”
Several Ukrainians chanted Mr. Zelinski for standing for Mr. Trump, even if personal enmity became an obstacle. On Sunday, Mr. Zellinski He said he will step down As a president if doing this will bring peace to Ukraine, although it is not clear whether he is seriously considering this option.
Mr. Zelensky has received advice from European leaders worried to avoid escalation, including in a phone call last week with Poland President, Doda.
“I suggested that President Zellinski be committed to the quiet and constructive cooperation course with President Donald Trump,” said Mr. Doda on X after the call. He said from the American leader: “I have no doubt that President Trump is guiding with a deep sense of responsibility for stability and world peace.”
Mr. Zellinski’s style has been classified before. In visits to Western capitals to deliver more aid to Ukraine, the leaders present to the point of discomfort. The UK’s defense minister, Ben Wallace, answered, “like or not, people want to see a little gratitude.” Ukrainian President foiled the American military leaders by ignoring their advice in the battlefield strategy.
Now, with the future of US military aid and support in any possible peace talks at stake, it threatens to develop a much larger problem.
Over the past two weeks, Mr. Zellinski has refused to sign the metal deal and said he would not accept any result of Mr. Trump’s negotiations if Ukraine is not represented. He is also following diplomatic efforts to support European support.
But even supporters of Ukraine from this diplomatic strategy say Mr. Zelinski’s ingenuity is an issue.
Instead of putting the position of Ukraine once, Mr. Zelinski repeated at a security conference in Munich, a press conference in the capital of Türkiye and news conferences in Kiev that he would reject Mr. Trump’s negotiations if Ukraine excludes.
The continuous general insistence on the involvement of Ukrainian has irritated Mr. Trump. “He was in three -year meetings, and nothing was done,” said Mr. Trump. On Radio Fox News on Friday. “Therefore, I don’t think it is extremely important to be in meetings, to be honest with you.”
But the American leader often uses threats and strong arm tactics as a way to push matters forward-and Mr. Trump may be fine in the end that Mr. Zellinski is participating in this process.
On Sunday, instead of calling his speech as some European leaders advised, Mr. Zelinski did not retract his previous comment that Mr. Trump was surrounded by Russian “information” about the war.
He pointed to the efforts made by Mr. Trump to inflate the amount of aid provided by Washington to Ukraine. Mr. Zellinski continued due to Mr. Trump’s assertion, who earns that the Ukrainian leader has only 4 percent of approval – exposing the prosecution as critics say it was an universal war of words.
This is not the first tour of Ukraine with Mr. Trump. During the first period of Mr. Trump, Ukraine offered deals to buy coal and locomotives from Pennsylvania, and handed it over a victory in public relations in creating job opportunities in an important swing country. The Ukrainian authorities also closed the investigation of payments under the table in Ukraine to Paul Manafort, who was the president of Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign. Mr. Manafort was later convicted of financial crimes in the United States and was amputated by Mr. Trump.
This approach witnessed through Mr. Trump’s first mandate to obtain permission to buy anti-tank missiles-the first fatal military aid granted to the country-and to impose sanctions on natural gas pipelines in Russia.
In Ukraine today, many say they want a voice in conversations that would constitute their future – and that Mr. Zelinski’s request is not just a sign of a stubborn personality but a wide -based position in the country. There is no little appetite to allow Mr. Trump to negotiate to circulate the army’s achievements in fighting Russia to a dead end after three years of war – without the participation of Kiev.
“The Ukrainians want more peace than anyone, but our struggle and the resistance of the Ukrainian army is the only reason behind our absence as a nation, and as a issue of international relations,” said Litanant Pavlu Felichako, who is fighting in international relations. Northeast Ukraine. “It was not Zelinski who decided what he wanted or did not want, but all the Ukrainians who stood to fight.”
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2025/02/24/multimedia/24ukraine-zelensky-02-blkm/24ukraine-zelensky-02-blkm-facebookJumbo.jpg
Source link