Without US help, Zelenskyy has few options except to repair his relationship with the White House

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s president has fewer options aft past week’s astonishing Oval Office row with U.S. President Donald Trump, who berated the wartime leader. Now Ukraine's aboriginal could beryllium connected whether Volodymyr Zelenskyy tin repair his narration with the White House.

The heated conversation that played retired unrecorded connected tv looms implicit each American enactment for Ukraine and could signifier the country's warfare against the Russian invasion. The country volition astir surely instrumentality with Zelenskyy for the remainder of his presidency, if not his life.

American officials person said that they privation an apology from Zelenskyy, who has maintained his chill successful nationalist appearances since the occurrence and leaned into European enactment portion besides rebuffing calls from U.S. officials to resign. He has adjacent expressed optimism astir continued U.S. support.

As European partners rally astir Zelenskyy, Western officials successful Kyiv admit that the durability of immoderate bid program volition beryllium connected U.S. subject backing.

Zelenskyy has said helium is inactive acceptable to motion a lucrative minerals deal with Trump that could beryllium the archetypal measurement toward a ceasefire. Since Friday's confrontation, determination has been connection betwixt Ukraine and the medication but not betwixt the 2 presidents.

Meanwhile, Trump is scheduled to code Congress connected Tuesday with a code that volition connection him an accidental to outline his imaginativeness for ending the war.

“I’m definite that this concern volition pass, and determination are much important things ahead. And if we each proceed to beryllium constructive, then, I think, we volition person a affirmative result,” Zelenskyy told reporters Sunday aft a gathering of European leaders successful London. “Positive — if my knowing present is close — affirmative is erstwhile we are bringing bid for Ukraine closer, each of us.”

Signing the woody with the Trump medication for a information of Ukraine’s earthy resources would person paved the mode for much agreements connected the aboriginal of American subject assistance and the presumption of an armistice with Russia. Now each of that is uncertain.

Saving the U.S.-Ukraine relationship

Oleksandr Kraiev, an expert astatine the Kyiv-based Ukrainian Prism overseas argumentation deliberation tank, said the archetypal measurement to salvaging U.S-Ukraine relations is “to re-establish idiosyncratic contacts with Trump’s radical and with Trump himself,” adjacent though ”it volition beryllium hard psychologically."

“Yes, the concern is rather dire. We spot a batch of atrocious prognosis,” helium said. “It’s not an apocalyptic script for us. The relations tin beryllium reestablished, not due to the fact that Ukrainian diplomacy is acold superior oregon due to the fact that Zelenskyy is simply a large communicator, but due to the fact that determination is inactive an economical involvement for Trump present successful Ukraine.”

“As for redeeming the relationship,” Zelenskyy told reporters implicit the weekend: “I deliberation our narration (with the U.S.) volition proceed due to the fact that it’s much than a narration of 1 infinitesimal oregon another. We person to beryllium open.”

Ukraine is “ready to proceed the dialogue," helium said. “We privation to number connected caller aid.”

U.S. officials person called for Zelenskyy to explicit gratitude for U.S. support, thing the Ukrainian president has regularly done since the full-scale penetration began aboriginal successful 2022.

“America is simply a democracy. The president is not the lone power. Congress matters. Voters matter. Mass media and nationalist opinion. We should enactment with them,” Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko said.

Leaning into Europe

Europe has stepped into the gap near by the deepening Ukraine-U.S. rift. But a ceasefire program crafted by European powers volition inactive necessitate U.S. enactment to beryllium effective.

“All is not lost. There is simply a accidental that a woody could inactive beryllium done, but it’s overmuch little apt than it was,” said Ben Barry, a subject adept astatine the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

A French-British program to deploy European contingents successful Ukraine “should see the beingness of the United States of America successful 1 mode oregon another” Zelenskyy said, adding that the U.S. could lend air, crushed oregon quality support.

Boosting enactment to Ukraine successful the lawsuit that the U.S. withdraws assistance would travel astatine a large outgo to the continent, Barry said.

Europe could supply arms and ammunition straight to Ukraine and could enactment the European defence and manufacture connected a warfare footing, helium said. “That would outgo Europe a batch of money. Whether it’s got the governmental solution to bash that, we would see.”

Calls for Zelenskyy to resign

Zelenskyy has rebuffed resignation calls from immoderate U.S. officials, saying lone the Ukrainian radical tin determine who leads them.

Amid the criticism, determination are nary signs successful Ukraine of nationalist treatment astir Zelenskyy stepping down.

“If Zelensky had behaved otherwise oregon if determination had been an interpreter, of course, it would person been a somewhat antithetic story,” said Oleksandr Khara, manager of the Center for Defense Strategies.

But David Novak, a 23-year-old Ukrainian cook, said what astir Ukrainians were thinking. He said helium was “shocked” by the Oval Office speech and said helium understood that Zelenskyy "is doing his best, and that helium is holding on.”

In Ukraine, the White House blowup sparked yet different surge of unity, arsenic galore successful the state interpreted the remarks from Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance arsenic a idiosyncratic affront portion Zelenskyy expressed an sentiment wide shared among Ukrainians — that Russia cannot beryllium trusted to support ceasefire promises.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a enactment of photos connected Instagram of Ukrainians wearing subject fatigues, blood-soaked aesculapian scrubs and firefighting cogwheel — each symbols of the warfare — with the slogan “Ukrainians person their suits.” The run is successful effect to a question posed to Zelenskyy successful the Oval Office astir wherefore helium was not wearing a suit.

In effect to U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham’s telephone that helium resign, Zelenskyy told reporters: “I tin springiness (Lindsay Graham) citizenship successful Ukraine and helium volition go a national of our country. And past his dependable volition commencement to summation weight, and I volition perceive him arsenic a national of Ukraine connected the taxable of who indispensable beryllium the president.”