“COMEDIAN”
When Russia invaded Ukraine almost exactly three years ago, Zelenskyy was hailed as a hero in the US.
But Trump was not at the party; in fact, he’d had tense relations ever since he was impeached for the first time in 2019 over delaying assistance to Ukraine as he pressed Zelenskyy to dig up dirt on Joe Biden’s family before the 2020 election.
Support for Ukraine was also not part of Trump’s “America First” agenda.
He’s long opposed the billions of dollars in aid that Biden sent to Ukraine, and pledged during the 2024 election campaign to end the Ukraine conflict before taking office, sparking further fears he would push Kyiv into an unfavourable deal.
The Republican’s shock announcement of a call with Putin last week had initially been tempered with a call to Zelenskyy immediately afterwards. But it rankled with Zelenskyy, and the tensions grew after Russian and US officials met in Saudi Arabia on Monday (Feb 17).
In the gilded halls of his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday, Trump said Kyiv started the war.
Zelenskyy responded by saying that Trump was in a Russian “disinformation space”.
Trump furiously doubled down, first saying on social media that Zelenskyy was a “comedian” and a “dictator without elections”. “Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” he added.
In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said no one could force his country to give in.
“We will defend our right to exist,” Sybiha said on X.
Later in the day while speaking to investors and executives in Miami, Trump doubled down on his comments, again calling Zelenskyy a “dictator” and suggesting the Ukrainian president wanted to prolong the war to “keep the gravy train going”, a reference to US military aid.
There was criticism from some Republicans over Trump’s comments, including his former vice president Mike Pence.
But it quickly became clear that it wasn’t an outburst – it was now US policy, with the White House reposting his comments on social media and officials rushing to the airwaves to defend them.
“Why hasn’t President Zelenskyy tried to end this war for the betterment of his country?” National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told Fox News.
“KILL THE PATIENT”
For Ukraine and Europe, the clash just intensified the whiplash from last week’s announcement.
“A lot of the language, including his echoing of Kremlin talking points, indicates that maybe he’s just giving away the farm to Russia,” said Henry Hale, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University.
But Hale said that while the Ukrainians should be worried, “I don’t think they should give up all hope … Trump’s negotiating style is to keep everybody off balance.”
US Vice President JD Vance even seemed to offer Zelenskyy some advice, telling the Daily Mail that “badmouthing” Trump in public was an “atrocious” way to deal with Trump’s administration.
European leaders are meanwhile still scrambling to respond.
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer – who have both offered to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine – are both expected at the White House next week, but have also called Zelenskyy to offer support.
Others, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, criticised Trump.
But former British prime minister and Trump ally Boris Johnson played down Trump’s comments, saying they were “not intended to be historically accurate but to shock Europeans into action”.
Bergmann agreed that Trump’s comments could indeed be a “real pivot point” for Europeans – but he had a warning.
“Now, sometimes shocks are effective at getting you going,” Bergmann said. “Sometimes they can kill the patient.”
