The dramatic nausea between the US and Ukrainian leaders raises concerns about the continued US aid for Ukrainian war efforts.
Uncertainly and discreetly, Ukrainians voiced concern over the possibility that the US could withdraw support for a war-torn country following a dramatic crying match in the oval office between the US and the Ukrainian president.
Audiences around the world were watching in shock as Volodimia Zelensky and Donald Trump’s press conference on Friday.
The two leaders and US Vice President JD Vance have clashed over various visions on how, by working with the perspective of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Ukrainian president seeks security assurances from the Trump administration, which has made a U-turn on decades of US foreign policy.
The Ukrainians hardened in three years of war and gathered around Zelensky, but expressed disappointment about our future in support of Kiev’s war efforts as the larger-equipped Russian troops marched across Swas in the eastern region.
“I don’t think we could stand without the help of America. They helped us a lot with weapons and money. Liudmyla Stetsevych, 47, a resident of Kyiv, told Reuters.
“Trump and Putin are separating the world. That’s what I say. I don’t know what’s coming.”
Other Ukrainians also wanted Ukrainian allies in Europe to boost political and military support if the US returned its own dial.
“Many European countries have expressed their support for Ukraine. We hope they step up and increase their aid in Ukraine, particularly military equipment and ammunition,” Kiev’s Alina Zayvronko told Reuters.
According to the War Institute, the European Union, Britain and Norway have pledged to aid with more than $200 billion in aid compared to cumulative direct military and non-military aid to Ukraine compared to cumulative direct military and non-military aid to Ukraine.
Still, the US provides the Ukrainian military with major air defense weapons and much needed information. Many on Kyiv fear that without Washington’s support, the outlook for Ukraine’s war effort will be bleak.
Zhaivoronko said the Ukrainians were “very grateful” to the United States. But our honor, our dignity, should stand above all else.
“It was an unpleasant shock, just like we were in a cold shower. It was a very unexpected form of discussion. But there are two aspects to this: Diplomatically, President Zelensky should have followed the norms and rules. But on the other side, it was a provocation,” she said.
Kyiv retired Nataliia Serhiienko, 67, said she believes the Ukrainians are approving the president’s performance in Washington.
“They had a passionate meeting, a very passionate conversation,” she told The Associated Press. However, Zelensky was “protecting Ukraine’s interests.”
In his talks with Trump, Zelensky repeatedly requested that deals with the US must include specific security guarantees for Ukraine, where Putin should violate the ceasefire agreement. In the past, the Ukrainian president said Moscow had breached 25 armistice contracts, including during Trump’s first term.
However, following a spat in front of the camera, Zelensky suddenly left the White House without signing a big deal of mineral contract. He later refused to apologise for the explosion, regretting public nausea and said he wanted Trump to be more on the side of Ukraine.
“Americans don’t know the real situation, what’s going on here,” Ella Kazantseva, 54, told Reuters across the sea of flags in central Kiev, commemorating the death of the Ukrainian war.
“They don’t understand. Everything is beautiful for them.”
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