Zelenskyy’s speech carried more urgency as the Europeans now see that Putin has wider goals beyond its ambitions in Ukraine, said Aurel Braun, professor of international relations and political science at the University of Toronto.
“This is not only about Ukraine losing territory. It is about Russia trying to damage or destroy the NATO alliance, and this is why what Zelenskyy said at the UN is important,” he added.
Zelenskyy’s suggestion – that Ukraine has to be strong together with its allies – follows Trump’s change of tone, but the key question is whether this will lead to policy changes, Braun told CNA’s Asia First programme.
As for Trump, Braun pointed to what the US president posted on social media after his UN speech. Notably, Trump did not say the US was going to help Ukraine.
“He didn’t say that the US was going to send massive armaments, or even sell massive armaments that Ukraine wants to buy … that could hit key Russian marshaling points deep inside the country,” said Braun, who is also an associate at Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies.
“Trump has an important role to play, and in many ways, he continues to remain in mystery – someone who changes his mind very frequently. The tone change now is potentially significant, but potential has to be realised.”
