US President Trump’s remarks on Ukraine's Zelenskyy reverberate across media

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) - US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks targeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reverberate across international media, as Washington moves closer to Russia to end the Moscow-Kyiv war.

The Economist detailed how Trump on Feb. 18 lashed out by calling the Ukrainian leader “a dictator” after Zelenskyy canceled a long-planned trip to Saudi Arabia over his exclusion from crucial talks on ending the Moscow-Kyiv war.

The weekly in an article argued that many top Ukrainian figures worry that the rhetoric from Trump’s side is mirroring a Russian ploy -- demanding a ceasefire without any security assurances and calling for snap elections that could tear apart national unity.

In the article, a former diplomat was quoted as saying: “Mr Trump appears to want to get rid of Mr Zelensky, whom he has never liked and who he thinks is difficult.”

“This is not about elections, it’s about getting rid of Zelenskyy,” the diplomat added.

Bloomberg painted a similarly grim picture. The outlet reported Trump’s turn against Zelenskyy, including warnings on social media for the Ukrainian leader to “better move fast” to reach a deal with Russia “or he is not going to have a Country left.”

Trump’s approach, Bloomberg noted, appears to be a high-stakes negotiation tactic aimed at pressuring Kyiv.

“It certainly is possible that President Trump could decide simply to abandon Ukraine and I think there are probably people in the administration who would be satisfied with that,” said Christopher Chivvis, A senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“But it’s also possible that this is part of a negotiating tactic to soften Ukraine up as much as possible in order to make it more likely that they will accept what is bound to be a very difficult agreement that comes out of the negotiation that has now started with Russia,” he added.

According to Bloomberg, Trump's attacks on the Ukrainian president also may be a tactic designed to pressure Kyiv into signing a deal that would grant the US potential future billions from mineral rights profits.

CNN reported that Trump’s recent rhetoric has shifted from policy critiques to personal insults, with the president reiterating claims that Zelenskyy’s approval ratings are dismally low – even suggesting figures as low as 4 percent, echoing Kremlin talking points.

CNN also argued that there had always been a hint that the motives might be personal, though many still hoped that the broader interests of both the US and Ukraine would prevail.

However recently, Trump's "slow-burn, apparent dislike" for the Ukrainian leader has become strikingly obvious. This revelation brings with it a genuine new uncertainty about Ukraine's future and, more broadly, the security of Europe, CNN said.

Politico added another dimension to the unfolding drama, reporting that Ukrainian hopes are fading as Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin seem to be aligning on a strategy that sidelines Zelenskyy. Politico noted that despite repeated efforts by Kyiv to engage Trump – including overtures to share in Ukraine’s critical mineral wealth – the US leader has remained dismissive.

“Trump and Putin want Zelenskyy out - their alignment is worrisome,” a former Ukrainian minister told Politico. “And knowing that they want him gone, Zelenskyy will do everything to cling to power, which will just further deteriorate Ukraine’s diplomatic position.”