A public confrontation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday has laid bare the worsening ties between their two countries--an escalation that could further weaken Ukraine amid its ongoing conflict with Russia, according to several experts.
Later on Friday, the White House canceled a press conference where Trump and Zelensky were set to sign the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal, following a dramatic clash inside the Oval Office that ended with Zelensky walking out.
Stunned by the fiery exchange between Zelensky and the duo of Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance, some Western media described the Oval Office confrontation as 'remarkable,' 'confrontational,' and even a 'blowup,' as this round of U.S.-led efforts to negotiate an end to the Ukraine-Russia conflict collapsed.
Ukrainian and Russian experts have weighed in on the clash between Trump and Zelenskyy.
Ruslan Bortnik, director of the Ukrainian Institute of Politics, questioned the future of U.S.-Ukraine relations, suggesting that reaching a consensus between the two countries would be increasingly difficult. However, he noted that despite the strained ties, their geopolitical entanglement ensures the relationship will persist at some level.
"I think the relationship between Zelensky and Trump is highly questionable. I don't know if the two can reach any consensus in the future. But it will be even more difficult than it is now. Moreover, there is no doubt that Ukraine has had a worsening U.S. attitude towards it. We cannot expect the U.S. to provide assistance to Ukraine in the near future. The relationship between Ukraine and the U.S. has broken down. But at the same time, the U.S. wants to maintain its influence over Ukraine. And Ukraine cannot bypass the U.S. either. So the relationship between the two countries will still be maintained at a certain level," said Bortnik.
Kirill Koktysh, a professor at the Moscow Institute of International Relations, emphasized that Europe is a key stakeholder in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and argued that the U.S. has been leveraging its influence to manipulate European affairs.
"As for Ukraine, it has essentially become a tool for Trump to pressure Europe. During the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Europe has effectively turned into a colony of the U.S. The so-called elites in Europe have bet on Russia’s strategic failure. Meanwhile, Trump’s opponents, namely, globalists and Democrats, are firmly entrenched in Europe," he noted.
Some experts reacted more sharply to the clash between the two leaders, arguing that the U.S. has never regarded Ukraine as an equal. They noted that under the Trump administration, the façade of diplomatic politeness has faded, revealing Washington’s view of Ukraine as little more than a bargaining chip.
"The U.S.-led West has always put themselves first over Ukraine. And the Trump administration won't even bother to conceal this attitude with diplomatic formalities. Trump sees Ukraine as a land even without sovereignty, or a bargaining chip at negotiation," said Alexander Shatilov, professor in the Department of Political Science at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
