A week is a long time in politics and who knows this better than Volodymyr Zelensky at the moment. In a little over seven days, from being called a ‘dictator’ by Donald Trump to denied being called a dictator, from being invited to the Oval Office to being asked to leave the White House, the Ukrainian President has seen it all and at a hostile roller coaster pace, too.
On Tuesday, the US suspended all military aid to Ukraine, as per a statement from a senior Trump official. The order, effective immediately, also affects more than $1 billion in arms and ammunition that were in the pipeline.
The White House also said its pause on the aid will continue until Trump determined that Ukraine was serious about a peace deal with Russia. As for the nearly signed minerals deal between US and Ukraine, that seems to have been placed on the backburner with swiftness that only the world of geopolitics can afford.
It was only last Thursday when Trump, during an Oval Office meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, showed restraint while talking about Zelensky. “We want to work with him, President Zelensky… and we will work with him. I think the president and I actually have had a very good relationship. It maybe got a little bit testy because we wanted to have a little bit of what the European nations had.”
A day later, Donald Trump was sitting in the Oval Office taking questions from White House press again, but with Volodymyr Zelensky sitting on his right this time and Vice President JD Vance on the left. After nearly 20 minutes of taking questions, more or less cordially, including the one on Zelensky’s choice of clothing and lack of a suit, a full-blown argument broke out that led to the Ukrainian President being asked to leave the White House.
The media, before which the said volatile conversation unfolded, including the world leaders’ stand divided in their opinions, is not dumbfounded.
Wasn’t the minerals deal praised as a win-win by both Zelensky and Trump? “We’re going to be signing an agreement, which will be a very big agreement,” the President had boasted before the Cabinet meeting, just a few days before the diplomatic blow-off.
However, Zelensky’s lack of suit (debatably read as a form of disrespect among the right wing in the US), and also pushing back at Vance’s suggestions that Kyiv should work harder to agree to a ceasefire with Vladimir Putin, put everything on the cold shelf – the minerals deal with the US, peace deal with Russia and Ukraine’s equation with the US.
Zelensky finds support in EU allies
Right after leaving the US early, the Ukrainian President headed to London for scheduled talks with EU leaders, amidst loud calls of resignation by Trump supporters.
In a stark contrast to the Oval Office, Zelensky was received with cheers outside the 10 Downing Street amid unwavering UK support and assurances from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The meeting also led to a £2.26 billion loan deal to bolster Ukraine’s defence.
But can Europe provide security cover to Ukraine without US backing? Not if the statistics are to be believed. As per the US government website Ukraine oversight, the US had allocated approximately $183 billion to the Ukraine response as of September 2024. A massive sum when compared to the EU which had sent a total of $141 billion in aid to Ukraine, including $51 billion in military assistance.
Democrats come down on Trump
The rare earth minerals deal between US and Ukraine, which many had opined to be heavily in favour of the US, some even comparing it to contemporary form of colonial pillage, was as crucial for Trump as for Zelensky.
Also read: Trump freezes Ukraine aid after clash with Zelenskyy
Among the first to launch a scathing attack on Trump was Democratic Sen Chris Murphy who accused Trump of turning White House into, “an arm of The Kremlin.” He further called the development a “say day in America” and that it was getting closer and closer to brutal dictatorship like Russia and further and further away from democratic allies. Murphy did not stop there and accused Trump of seeking to transition the US into a “kleptocratic oligarchy.”
U-turn or point of no return?
“Come back when you’re ready for peace,” said Trump shortly after Zelensky’s car pulled away from the Oval Office on Friday. A far cry from Zelensky’s restrained post on X soon after the meeting, “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you POTUS, Congress and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”
Speaking after the summit of European leaders in London on Sunday, Zelensky maintained that Ukraine’s relationship with the US will continue and he was “sure that this situation would pass by.” The Ukrainian President, while taking questions from the British media, said he was still “ready” to move forward with the US minerals deal and have a “constructive dialogue,” with the US.
“I just want the Ukrainian position to be heard. We want our partners to remember who the aggressor is in this war.”
However, he did not mince words on saying how the combative nature of the meeting benefitted neither the US nor Ukraine but only Russia.
But would he return to the White House? Yes, but he draws the line when it comes to being drawn into talking about conceding territory to Putin as part of the peace deal or expressing regret in how he handled Trump and Vance on their home turf.
The Ukrainian leader remains adamant that what unfolded at the Oval Office on Friday, will not affect the support of the US or the relations between two nations. Maybe, the hope is not unfounded - the silver lining being the unpredictable nature of the US President.
Things change fast in Donald Trump’s world and relationships take a swift U-turn. Trump’s relationship, stance and statements on Elon Musk being a strong case in point. But will the same happen with Zelensky?
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