With Trump ‘openly playing along with Russia,’ Ukraine eyes future without US support

KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine braced for a possible halt in US support and eyed a stronger alliance with Europe against Russia’s invasion, following a fiery clash on Friday between the American and Ukrainian presidents.

The heated exchange between Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on one side and Volodymyr Zelensky on the other has left the already fractious relations with the new US administration in tatters.

Volodymyr Fesenko, a political analyst, called the shouting match “a defeat for both sides” but said it was “bound to happen sooner or later.”

“The United States is no longer an ally of Ukraine,” Fesenko told AFP, adding that there should not be “any illusions” about continued US military support.

Fesenko warned the effects could be “significant” as US support encompasses not only the supply of arms but also military intelligence and communications.

Despite the Oval Office confrontation, Zelensky told Fox News he believed that “of course” the relationship with Trump could be salvaged and admitted that fighting against Russia “will be difficult without your support.”

‘New alliance’ with Europe

The United States has given Ukraine 64 billion euros in military aid since Russia’s invasion, according to official figures.

The Kiel Institute, a German economic research body, said that from 2022 until the end of 2024, the United States gave a total of 114.2 billion euros ($119.8 billion) in financial, humanitarian and military aid.

The European Union and individual European countries have contributed around 132.3 billion euros.

A European military source earlier said the situation would become “very complicated” for Ukraine by May or June without fresh US support on top of what had already been pledged by the previous US administration.

But a source in Ukraine’s presidency said after Friday’s argument between Zelensky and US leaders that “a new alliance with European countries will protect freedom, democracy and our shared values.”

The source said the spat was “a logical answer to the question of what is next and who is our friend and who is our enemy. This is already a good thing.”

Ukraine now believes Trump and Vance are “openly playing along with Russia,” the source said.

‘Absolute idiocy’

Trump has initiated a rapprochement with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has echoed Kremlin talking points on Ukraine, upending US policy since Moscow invaded its neighbor in February 2022.

Ukraine’s European allies rallied behind Zelensky after the Trump spat, ahead of a summit in London which according to Downing Street was set to focus on shoring up support for “securing a just and enduring peace.”

Illya Neskhodovsky, head of the Institute for Social and Economic Transformation, also said that Ukraine should rely more on European support but questioned whether Europeans “are ready to act fast enough.”

“It was right for Zelensky to defend our dignity, but it was a mistake to get into a dispute,” he said.

Many ordinary Ukrainians have voiced support for Zelensky, praising him for standing up for his country.

But opposition lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko was also critical of the president, saying it was “absolute idiocy” to argue with Trump in front of the media.

“We have seen the end of our relationship with Trump right now,” he said, warning that a halt in US military assistance could have “very bad consequences.”

But the online publication European Pravda said in an editorial that Washington was “in no hurry to burn bridges” despite the argument with Trump.

It pointed to a relatively “mild” reaction from the White House after the dispute and said there had been no official statements about halting aid.

“For now, all we can say with certainty is that the period of uncertainty that began in recent weeks due to the actions of the new US government has radically intensified,” the outlet said.