Ukrainians back Zelensky after disastrous White House encounter

Whether oregon not President Volodymyr Zelensky was ambushed oregon should person been much diplomatic successful the Oval Office, it was a disastrous sojourn for Ukraine.

For those watching successful Kyiv, the aboriginal of their state hung successful the balance.

"It was an affectional conversation, but I recognize our president," Yulia tells maine adjacent to Kyiv's golden-domed St Sofia's cathedral.

"Maybe it wasn't diplomatic, but it was sincere. It's astir life, we privation to live."

Yulia reflects a governmental signifier successful Ukraine: the much the state is attacked, the much unity determination is.

Before the full-scale penetration successful 2022, President Zelensky's spot standing was 37%. Afterwards, it rocketed to 90%.

Before Donald Trump returned to bureau astatine the commencement of 2025, it was 52%. After helium blamed Ukraine for starting the war, it deed 65%.

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"They [Donald Trump and JD Vance] were truthful rude," says 30-year-old Andriy. "They don't respect the radical of Ukraine."

"It looks similar Washington supports Russia!" observes Dmytro, 26.

You wonderment what the past 24 hours has done to President Zelensky's popularity.

"When the concern becomes worse, we person different rallying astir the flag," explains Volodymyr Paniotto, manager of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology which conducted immoderate of the polling.

World leaders' popularity often wanes implicit time, and Mr Paniotto says President Zelensky has not been immune.

His ratings particularly took a deed with Ukraine's failed counteroffensive of 2023, and his sacking a twelvemonth aboriginal of the fashionable commandant successful main of his equipped forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.

But Donald Trump's new, transactional, often-hostile attack to Ukraine has forced the state to unite and brace for further uncertainty.

Not slightest with his warming to Russia.

The archetypal absorption was that of shock," says absorption MP Inna Sovsun.

"It was hard to ticker a president who's been a unfortunate of Russian aggression being attacked by the person of the escaped world," she adds. "It's painful."

Ukrainian TV channels reported yesterday's scenes successful a much measured way: that a minerals woody betwixt Ukraine and the US was simply not signed.

Perhaps, fixed it didn't see the American information guarantees that Kyiv and Europe desperately want, it wasn't arsenic tantalising for Zelensky arsenic had been suggested.

"We request to find stronger allies successful Europe and Canada, Australia and Japan, who've each been supporting us," argues Sovsun.

There are intelligibly heavy feelings of resentment betwixt Washington and Kyiv. However, Sovsun doesn't deliberation Ukraine should springiness up connected negotiations, but should alternatively reframe the debate.

"It's important to find the close mediator," she says. "Someone Trump tin recognise, but idiosyncratic we spot too. Someone similar Georgia Meloni of Italy.

"Under nary circumstances should we hold to calls for the president to resign, and I'm saying that arsenic an absorption MP. That defies the precise thought of democracy."

President Zelensky hoped his Washington sojourn would pb to a deeper co-operation with the US which could, successful turn, bring a lasting peace. Something Sovsun thinks cipher wants much than Ukrainians.

"We are the ones who are suffering, it's highly hard to unrecorded nether this stress," she adds. "Just this morning, I work that my friend's lad was killed, his 2nd lad successful this war."

What the MP and countless Ukrainians don't privation is simply a rushed settlement. Attempted ceasefires with Russia successful 2014 and 2015 lone allowed Moscow to hole for its afloat scale-invasion years later.

"We knew it would beryllium difficult, conscionable not this difficult."

Ukrainian MP Ivanna Klympush-Tsyntsadze anticipated a 2nd Trump presidency being little sympathetic to her country's cause, but not to this extent.

"This mineral statement does not oblige America to assistance america militarily, oregon to upscale oregon proceed the enactment it's presently giving," she says.

While determination is inactive parliamentary unity down President Zelensky and suspended elections, MPs similar Klympush-Tsyntsadze person been calling for much engagement successful negotiations.

Her European Solidarity Party's president is erstwhile President Petro Poroshenko, a fierce rival to Zelensky.

He was adjacent precocious sanctioned by Ukraine's person implicit what Ukraine's information work labelled arsenic "threats to nationalist security" and "creating obstacles to economical development". Mr Poroshenko said it was "politically motivated".

Despite this, the erstwhile president said helium recognised Zelensky's legitimacy arsenic leader, to combat some American and Russian claims to the contrary.

As sirens wail and missiles slam into cities, this is simply a warfare inactive raging, contempt each of the speech of ending it.

Russia is not backing down connected its demands for Ukraine's governmental capitulation and the implicit power of 4 regions.

"This warfare is not for immoderate area, municipality oregon treeline successful the east," says Taras Chmut, caput of the Come Back Alive foundation.

After Russia invaded Crimea successful 2014, the organisation was acceptable up to crowdsource subject instrumentality for warring Ukrainian troops.

"This is the warfare that volition specify the satellite bid for aboriginal decades. Whether this satellite volition inactive beryllium depends connected however this warfare goes," helium says.

As helium ruthlessly pursues his "America First" policy, Trump wants Europe to supply information connected a continent wherever helium is little consenting to bash so. But Europe is divided connected this, and wherever determination is statement it is that bid is not imaginable without the US arsenic a information net.

"Europe and the satellite erstwhile again privation to adjacent their eyes and judge successful a miracle, but miracles bash not happen," says Mr Chmut.

"Countries indispensable judge the world of the concern and bash thing astir it. Otherwise, you volition beryllium the 1 to vanish adjacent - aft Ukraine."

Additional reporting by Hanna Chornous and Svitlana Libet.