Ukraine hemmed in as US backing frays three years after Russian invasion
KYIV—Ukraine enters the fourth year of all-out war with Russia on Monday, unsure it can rely any longer on its staunchest ally the United States as its exhausted troops fight to hold their ground against unrelenting enemy advances.
Donald Trump blasted Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week as an unpopular “dictator” who needed to cut a quick peace deal or lose his country, while the Ukrainian leader said the US president was living in a “disinformation bubble.”
Beyond the war of words, US officials opened direct talks with the Russian side in Saudi Arabia last week, while another team negotiated with Kyiv.
Washington has made clear it will send no troops as a security guarantee coveted by Kyiv if a peace deal emerges, placing the burden squarely on European powers that are likely to struggle without US backing.
Ukraine’s embattled leader, who has told Europe to create its own army while urging Washington to be pragmatic, has held more than a dozen phone calls mainly with European leaders since Friday to shore up support and scope out a way forward.
Rattled by Trump’s first month back in power, numerous European leaders were expected to visit the Ukrainian capital to commemorate the anniversary of the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II alongside Zelenskyy.
Thousands of Ukrainian citizens have died and over 6 million live as refugees abroad since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion by land, sea and air.
Military losses have been catastrophic, although they remain closely guarded secrets. Public Western estimates based on intelligence reports vary widely, but most say hundreds of thousands have been killed or wounded on each side.
Tragedy has touched families in every corner of Ukraine, where military funerals are commonplace in major cities and far-flung villages. People are exhausted by sleepless nights of air raid sirens.
‘They’re tired’
On the front, Ukrainian troops face a numerically superior foe as questions swirl over the future of vital US military assistance. It is unclear how much European allies could fill the gap if US support slows or stops.
Evhen Kolosov, head medic at an army stabilization point for Ukraine’s Spartan brigade that is fighting in the east, said the troops were psychologically worn down.
“They’re fighting on but really those (who’ve been here) since the first days are tired, even more psychologically than physically, in the same way as medics. It’s difficult, but this is the war, who said it would be easy?”
Pavlo Klimkin, Ukraine’s foreign minister from 2014 to 2019, said Zelenskyy needed to try to preserve strategic ties with Washington while enhancing relations with Europe, as well as reaching out to countries like China and India.
Klimkin said he did not think relations with Washington had reached crisis point yet, despite Trump’s outbursts.
“A tornado is not sustainable, it will pass, but it is very important not to feed it in any way.”
He did not anticipate a peace deal this year that would meet Ukraine’s ambitions for something fair and lasting, but said he thought there could be elements of a ceasefire agreement.
Oleksandr Merezhko, a lawmaker for Zelenskyy’s party who heads the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, said U.S. contacts needed to be enhanced at all levels, including with the Maga movement backing Trump.
At the heart of the current relationship is a deal under discussion that could open up Ukraine’s mineral wealth to the US, with Trump seeking hundreds of billions of dollars to repay Washington for its support.
Zelenskyy refused to sign an initial draft deal earlier this month, protesting that it was not in Ukrainian interests and did not contain the security guarantees he wanted.
Trump said on Friday that a deal was close, though details remain unclear.
Reuters reported that US negotiators pressing for a deal had raised the possibility of cutting Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet system, which has played a vital role in Kyiv’s military operations.
“So we just need to play this game right—not to give up our interests on one hand, and on the other hand to support Trump,” said Merezhko.
Trump has also pressed Ukraine to hold a wartime election after his term ended last May, raising questions about his legitimacy.
