Trump criticised for siding with Putin over Zelenskyy on Ukraine

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 15:58 · Archive

Donald Trump has suggested Russia has not done much wrong in Ukraine, prompting European concern that he favours Vladimir Putin over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Donald Trump said this week that 'Russia frankly has been fine on Ukraine' and that they 'have not been doing that much', comments that alarmed Ukrainian residents facing intensifying bombardment and European allies concerned about US policy direction.

EU officials and diplomats believe Trump's stance reflects personal antipathy towards Zelenskyy rather than strategic calculation. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told the European Parliament that American negotiators have been trying to push Ukraine into surrender for nearly two years, and that Ukraine has avoided doing so only because of European support. David Lidington, a former British Cabinet minister, suggested Trump's 'personal predilections for dictators and autocrats' drive his positions. One EU official observed that 'Trump doesn't like Zelenskyy. He just doesn't like him.'

The contrast with European support was stark. When Zelenskyy visited the European Council in Brussels, the EU's 27 leaders gave him a standing ovation. European Council president António Costa called for 'increased pressure on Russia' and refused to withdraw support. Zelenskyy responded by saying he was happy to have 'huge support' from 'real leaders'.

According to the Kiel Institut's Ukraine Support Tracker, Europe including the UK and Norway has spent €236bn supporting Ukraine from 2022 to April 2026, against US spending of €115bn. The EU has imposed 21 rounds of sanctions on Russia, approved a €90bn loan to Kyiv, opened accession negotiations with Ukraine and provided shelter to 4.4 million Ukrainian refugees.

How it is being reported

• Europe stands by Ukraine – but how long can that last?As US support ebbs away, looming European elections and growing financial strains across the continent could fracture the precious coalition that has kept Ukraine afloat Europe woke up last Friday to another belligerent outburst from Donald Trump – this time berating Ukraine’s wartime leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy again. Just a few days after his diesel deal with the Kremlin, the US president said Zelenskyy was more difficult to deal with than Vladimir Putin and blamed Ukraine’s leader for rocketing oil prices – without any reference to the impact of his own war on Iran. The contrast in Europe…Guardian World · 21 Oct, 15:33
• Maybe it’s personal: Europeans worry Trump just likes Putin more than ZelenskyyAfter 20 months of upheaval in transatlantic relations, EU officials fear the U.S. president dislikes Ukraine’s leader too much to push for a fair peace.Politico Europe · 20 Oct, 22:32

In this story: Donald Trump · Vladimir Putin · Volodymyr Zelenskyy · Kaja Kallas · European Union · Ukraine · Russia

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