From the moment Donald Trump announced last week that he had struck a deal with Vladimir Putin for exports of Russian diesel and said that ‘it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president’, it was clear that relations between Washington and Kyiv were at a new low. Last night, they appeared to sink even lower.
Trump’s hostile turn against Ukraine has placed it in even greater danger
Appearing on Piers Morgan’s show Uncensored yesterday, Ukrainian premier Volodymyr Zelensky declared that he felt ‘betrayed’ by Trump’s actions. ‘It’s a pity that we are losing a strong partner,’ he said, adding that ‘people will die’ due to the decision, reportedly taken by the White House, to curb Ukraine’s access to Starlink, the satellite communications system owned by Elon Musk.
Zelensky was in London yesterday for a day of meetings, first with King Charles at Buckingham Palace and then with Andy Burnham at Downing Street. The purpose of both meetings was for the King and Prime Minister to deliver the most explicit message of solidarity with Ukraine possible in the face of fraying relations with America: the King hosted the Ukrainian president for 25 minutes; on his arrival at No. 10, Zelensky was met by the Prime Minister flanked by an unprecedented guard of honour.
Yesterday’s meetings appear to form part of an emerging pattern: Zelensky received similar treatment from both the King and Burnham’s predecessor Keir Starmer following the notorious shouting match that played out during the Ukrainian president’s first meeting with Trump in the Oval Office last February. The King’s decision to meet with Zelensky again feels particularly significant given the monarch’s traditionally non-political stance and the high regard – bordering on obsession – that Trump is known to hold the royal family in.
Mirroring Starmer in yet another respect, it appears Burnham may try to play peacemaker between Zelensky and Trump. Addressing MPs in the House of Commons yesterday, the Prime Minister said he would ‘try and repair bridges so that the support comes back’.
It remains to be seen whether the Prime Minister and other European allies of Zelensky will repeat the mad dash across the Atlantic they made following the Oval Office incident last year in an attempt to talk sense into Trump and keep him onside. This is Burnham’s first true test for whether he can successfully whisper in the American president’s ear.
This is the most explicit criticism of Trump Zelensky has allowed himself to make in public. Historically, the Ukrainian premier has, to a degree, had to restrain himself for fear of permanently damaging the already withering American support for Ukraine’s war effort. Could this be a sign that Zelensky knows relations with Trump are approaching a point past which they are no longer salvageable? Or are they the words of a leader, who, after more than four and a half years of war, has allowed his emotions to get the better of him? It could, perhaps, even be a bit of both.
With three weeks to go until the American midterms it is clear Trump is feeling the pressure in the face of heavy projected losses for the Republican party. The US president is desperately trying to bring down the price of diesel in America and the root of his decision to strike a nonsensical deal with Putin over Russian energy exports.
This isn’t the first time Trump has tried to paint Zelensky as the bogeyman responsible for causing trouble for him domestically. The American president holds his Ukrainian counterpart responsible for the attempts by the Democrats to impeach him during his first term in office. This lies at the core of his dislike for Zelensky and is thought to be behind his hostile treatment of the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office last year.
At least until early November, there is unlikely to be a rapprochement between Trump and Zelensky. It has been reported that US intelligence officials warned the Ukrainian embassy in Washington that, should its armed forces target any more Russian energy sites, America would halt all intelligence sharing with Kyiv. There have been some suggestions by Ukraine that this has already happening – placing the country’s ability to defend itself from Moscow’s missiles and drones in jeopardy.
Ukraine has a difficult winter ahead: already short of Patriot missile interceptors and with an energy system struggling to function, having been consistently ravaged by years of Russian attacks. Trump’s hostile turn against the country has placed it in even greater danger – a situation Russia will no doubt do its best to exploit. It has clearly been reassuring for Zelensky that Burnham has pledged to help resolve the perilous diplomatic situation he finds himself. Only the coming weeks will, however, demonstrate whether the Prime Minister is able to successfully turn the tide of Trump’s wrath.
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