President Trump’s reputation among Ukrainians remains fragile, yet his recent remarks following a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky offered a rare note of encouragement. He questioned why Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to wage war on Ukraine despite ongoing efforts to negotiate peace.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump suggested that Putin might not genuinely want to end the conflict, implying that the ongoing violence could be a strategy to pressure the United States.
This interaction marked a modest victory for Zelensky and Ukraine during a pivotal phase of the war that began with Russia's large-scale invasion in February 2022. The U.S. had been encouraging Ukraine to accept a peace plan perceived by many as favoring Moscow. The proposal included Ukraine abandoning its NATO membership ambitions, vague security assurances, and U.S. recognition of Crimea as part of Russia—terms Ukraine has firmly rejected.
Renewed hope emerged after a devastating Russian missile strike on Kyiv killed 12 and injured nearly 90 people. Trump publicly condemned Putin’s actions, calling on him to halt the aggression in an uncommon rebuke.
The optimism was further bolstered when Zelensky secured about 15 minutes with Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral in Rome. Photographs released by Ukrainian officials showed the leaders engaged in a respectful and candid conversation, a stark contrast to their fraught meeting in Washington earlier in the year that ended abruptly and led to a temporary suspension of U.S. aid.
Volodymyr Dubovyk, director of the Center for International Studies at Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University, described the images from Rome as remarkable, emphasizing the importance of this private dialogue between the two presidents.
