New Delhi:
The diplomatic alliance between the United States and Ukraine, already under strain, suffered a dramatic and public rupture on Friday when US President Donald Trump tore into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. This unprecedented castigation — broadcast across every news channel across the world — has handed Russian President Vladimir Putin a strategic advantage: less US aid to Ukraine, relief for Russian troops engaged on the ground.
Since the start of the Russian invasion, the United States has provided Ukraine with an estimated 64 billion euros in military aid, alongside financial and humanitarian assistance. According to the Kiel Institute, a German research body, from 2022 to the end of 2024, total US aid to Ukraine reached 114.2 billion euros ($119.8 billion), while European contributions amounted to 132.3 billion euros.
Just days before the White House episode, the US and Trump broke ranks with Europe and voted against a United Nations resolution demanding that Russia withdraw from Ukraine on the third anniversary of Putin’s full-scale invasion.
The resolution, put forward by Ukraine, was backed by 93 nations, with 18 voting against and 65 abstaining. Among those who opposed the measure were Russia and its closest allies – North Korea, Syria, Belarus, Nicaragua, and, unexpectedly, the US. The decision stunned Western diplomats, who had assumed the US would stand by its long-held support for Ukraine’s sovereignty.
The resolution called on Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine, be held accountable for war crimes, and accept responsibility for the devastation caused by its invasion. But Trump, who has long expressed admiration for Putin’s leadership style, refused to back the measure.
Zelensky’s Apprehensions
For three years, the Kremlin has portrayed Zelensky as a reckless, incompetent leader who would inevitably alienate his NATO backers. The spectacle in Washington — Trump, flanked by Vice President JD Vance, berating Zelensky over US military support for Ukraine — has left Kyiv bracing for a potential halt in American aid.
Despite the tensions, Zelensky later told Fox News that he believed the relationship with Trump could still be salvaged. But he acknowledged the battlefield reality: “Of course, fighting against Russia will be difficult without your support.”
France, the UK, and Turkey have signaled their willingness to send troops to Ukraine. Zelensky has said at least 100,000 would be needed, though their exact role remains unclear. But Moscow has warned that any “NATO” presence in Ukraine would be considered a provocation.
Putin’s Silent Victory
For the Kremlin, the White House confrontation was a propaganda coup. Russian officials and state media seized on the moment, presenting the Oval Office showdown as evidence of Ukraine’s diminishing standing in he world.
But even though Trump claims he wants to “stop the death” in Ukraine, Putin remains focused on addressing what he calls the “root causes” of the war, a term widely understood to mean his demands for Ukraine’s neutrality, a weakened military, and limits on NATO’s expansion.
Russia currently occupies about 20 per cent of Ukraine, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. Putin insists that Kyiv must accept the “realities on the ground” and formally cede control of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson — all territories Moscow annexed in 2022.
Zelensky is adamant that Ukraine’s 1991 borders must be restored. However, he has hinted at a possible land swap involving Russia’s Kursk region, which Ukrainian forces briefly seized last year. Putin has rejected this outright.
The European Position
The clash at the White House has widened the rift between the US and its European allies over Ukraine. While Trump pressures Kyiv for an immediate ceasefire, European leaders insist on robust security guarantees to prevent a Russian resurgence.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stressed that US security guarantee is essential. Trump, however, appears to favour an economic arrangement instead.
Washington has proposed a minerals deal in which American firms would invest in Ukraine’s resource sector, providing economic stability rather than military protection. But without concrete security guarantees such as air defence cover or intelligence-sharing, Ukraine could remain exposed to future Russian aggression.
The public humiliation of Zelensky also serves another Kremlin objective: weakening Western unity. Russian lawmakers openly mocked Ukraine’s leader, with former President Dmitri Medvedev denouncing him as an “insolent pig” on social media.