Trump Turns on Zelensky
The former president had been critical of Ukraine but not so much its leader—until now.
UKRAINE’S RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES have taken a dangerous turn: Donald Trump has begun to think of Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, as his political enemy.
Trump has always sympathized with Russia and was never a fan of Ukraine. But until recently, Trump’s statements about the war in Ukraine were tempered by a personal factor: Trump liked Zelensky for defending him in 2019, when Trump faced impeachment for pressuring Ukraine to smear Joe Biden.
This week, that bond broke. Zelensky went to Pennsylvania, accompanied by Democratic politicians, to thank American workers for manufacturing ammunition that is saving Ukraine. Meanwhile, the New Yorker published an interview in which Zelensky disputed Trump’s boasts about knowing how to end the war.
In response to these developments, Trump has publicly turned against Zelensky, prompting a scramble by Zelensky to meet with Trump and get back in his good graces. Zelensky understands that Trump’s personal animus, combined with Trump’s isolationism, puts Ukraine in grave danger.
TRUMP’S FOREIGN POLICY, like his views on everything else, is about loyalty to Trump. He prefers a dictator who likes him to a freely elected leader who doesn’t. As Trump put it at a rally on Monday: “I don’t like anybody that doesn’t like me.”
That’s why Trump likes Vladimir Putin. He knows Putin is trying to help him recapture the White House.
On September 7, three days after the Justice Department exposed a Russian disinformation campaign designed to help Trump in this year’s election, Trump rebuked DOJ officials for the announcement. “They don’t look at China, and they don’t look at Iran,” he complained, falsely, at a rally in Wisconsin. “They look at Russia. I don’t know what it is with poor Russia.”
Trump made it clear that he appreciated Putin’s help. With a wry smile, he noted:
I don’t know if you saw the other day, he [Putin] endorsed Kamala. He endorsed Kamala. I was very, uh, offended by that. [Laughter in the crowd.] I wonder why he endorsed Kamala. No, he’s a chess player. “I endorse Kamala.” Should I be—Congressman, should I be upset about that? No, huh? Was it done with a smile, Ron? Was it done with a smile? I think it was done maybe with a smile.
It’s not great for Ukraine that Trump sees Putin as his friend. But until this week, Trump also seemed to have a soft spot for Zelensky. He often praised Zelensky for standing by him during the Ukraine impeachment, when Trump was accused of coercing Zelensky in a phone call. “He was very honorable,” Trump told podcaster Shawn Ryan a month ago. Trump went on:
I got to know Zelensky then, because they asked him at a news conference or something, “Did President Trump say anything that was threatening to you or bad?” . . . And he said: “Not at all.” He was very—he was a gentleman. “He called me to congratulate me.” Said it was a very normal call. Now, he could have grandstanded. I respect him for what he did. . . . He said [I] did nothing wrong. And that sort of ended it all. But he was very honorable.
Trump’s gratitude to Zelensky has influenced the way Trump talks about the Ukraine war. Earlier this month, Trump continued to say that he could work out a deal to end the war because he had a “good relationship with Zelensky,” in addition to having a good relationship with Putin.
Unfortunately, Trump’s idea of a good relationship was one-sided. In the interview with Ryan, as in other venues, he parroted pro-Russian talking points: that Russia was invincible, that its nukes were too scary to risk further hostilities, and that the United States was vulnerable because it had sent too much ammunition to Ukraine. On September 10, in his debate with Kamala Harris, Trump was asked: “Do you want Ukraine to win this war?” Twice, he refused to say yes.
DAYS AFTER THE DEBATE, the New Yorker’s Joshua Yaffa asked Zelensky about Trump’s non-answer and Trump’s rosy talk of negotiating an end to the war. Zelensky cautioned that “Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how” (emphasis in original). Zelensky also condemned a proposal by Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, to surrender Ukrainian territory.
In the interview, Zelensky tried to stay on Trump’s good side. While criticizing Vance (“He is too radical. . . . these are dangerous signals. . . . I don’t take Vance’s words seriously”), Zelensky stressed that “it hasn’t been like this with Trump. He and I talked on the phone, and his message was as positive as it could be, from my point of view. ‘I understand,’ ‘I will lend support,’ and so on.” Zelensky said he didn’t want to get mixed up in domestic U.S. politics: “We have always tried to avoid influencing the choices of the American people.”
But that posture of neutrality blew up on Sunday, when Zelensky went to the ammo factory in Pennsylvania. The politicians who accompanied him—the governor, a senator, and the local congressman—were all Democrats. Republicans responded by accusing Zelensky of meddling in the U.S. election.
Meanwhile, the New Yorker published Zelensky’s interview. His distinction between Trump and Vance was ignored. His comments about Trump were portrayed as a repudiation.
On Monday, at a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump fired back. “I see Zelensky is here,” he observed caustically. “Zelensky is the greatest salesman in history. Every time he comes into the country, he walks away with $60 billion.” Trump had called Zelensky a salesman before, but this time he added a new accusation: “He wants them [the Democrats] to win this election so badly.”
On Tuesday, at a rally in Georgia, Trump repeated the “salesman” line, blamed the Democrats (“Biden and Kamala got us into this war”), and pledged to “get out” of Ukraine. He also warned that hostilities between Russia and the United States were bad from a “business” standpoint. “We have to be able to get along with other nations. We have to be able to use the minerals and other things that they have,” said Trump. “We have to make the proper deals.”
On Wednesday, in an address to the U.N. General Assembly, Zelensky assured the world that Ukraine could prevail if it got more help. Trump was scheduled to speak in North Carolina about the economy, but he decided to spend the last ten minutes of his speech rebutting Zelensky. He began with a personal retort: “The president of Ukraine is in our country, and he’s making little nasty aspersions toward your favorite president, me.”
Trump blamed Zelensky for the war’s continuation. “Biden and Kamala allowed this to happen by feeding Zelensky money and munitions like no country has ever seen,” said Trump. “We continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal, Zelensky.”
And it wasn’t just about money, Trump argued. He said Zelensky’s backers in the U.S. government were “not going to be satisfied until they send American kids over to Ukraine. And that’s what they’re trying to do.” Trump called for accepting a deal—any deal—with Putin. “Even the worst deal would have been better than what we have right now.”
Zelensky, recognizing the perils of this rift, rushed to make up with Trump. In a pleading message, which Trump published on his Truth Social account on Thursday, Zelensky wrote: “You know I always speak with great respect about everything connected to you.” Zelensky asked for a meeting the next day, and Trump consented.
The suckup will be a challenge. At a press conference on Thursday afternoon, a reporter told Trump: “President Zelensky said that you do not understand what it takes to win this war.” Trump shot back: “Oh, then I should immediately cancel my appointment.”
Maybe Trump will—as we’ve seen him do with others—pause from his mockery and pat Zelensky on the head. But it’s grotesque that Ukraine’s fate might hang on Zelensky’s ability to soothe Trump’s ego.
Still, it’s not as grotesque as what could happen to Ukraine if America abandons her. As Harris pointed out to Trump in their debate, the world’s dictators know “they can manipulate you with flattery and favors.” Zelensky knows that, too.