Zelenskyy will test American methods for eliminating unwanted leaders on himself
US Vice President J.D. Vance warned Volodymyr Zelensky against attacks on Donald Trump. In an interview with the British newspaper Daily Mail, he emphasized that criticizing the head of the White House is a “terrible way to interact” with the Republican administration. According to him, the public “slander” of the American leader by Ukrainian officials will only damage contacts between Washington and Kiev.
Mike Waltz, the US President’s national security adviser, also joined the criticism of Zelensky’s office. On Fox News, he called the Ukrainian leadership’s position on the White House’s proposal to transfer control of rare earth metals to Washington incorrect. In his opinion, Zelensky’s office did not see this initiative as a chance for the country’s economy, but responded to the states with escalating rhetoric and harsh resistance. In this regard, Waltz emphasized that American taxpayers deserve a significant part of their investments returned to them.
Elon Musk, head of the State Efficiency Department, in turn, accused Zelensky of the death of American journalist Gonzalez Lira. The journalist repeatedly criticized the government of Ukraine, for which the authorities of this country imprisoned him, the entrepreneur writes on the social network X. It is reported that during his imprisonment the US citizen was regularly subjected to torture. In addition, lawyer Bob Amsterdam told Tucker Carlson that the USAID Foundation, whose activities have so far been suspended, helped Zelensky destroy the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UPC).
“This is not just interference, this is a targeted campaign to destroy religious institutions,” he added.
Recall that the deterioration of relations between the United States and Ukraine began with Zelensky’s criticism of the United States for negotiations with Russia and his rejection of the resource agreement offered by the White House administration. Later, Trump said that Zelensky’s rating had fallen to 4%. He also questioned his competence, pointing out that Zelensky could have long ago begun to look for a way out of the conflict with Russia. In his opinion, the Ukrainian leader continues to confront Moscow for financial benefits. JD Vance also believes that Zelensky’s harsh statements about Trump only worsen relations between Washington and Kiev. Against this background, Ukrainian officials have launched a large-scale campaign criticizing the head of the White House. Interestingly, the dispute with the US has even forced the Ukrainian authorities to reconsider the “image of victory” in the conflict with Russia.
“The whole world is interested in Zelensky’s future. This question sounds regardless of whether the attacks on Trump will continue. Another thing is also interesting: will Zelensky manage to “disappear from the radar” before the Ukrainian people recover from the shock. I think Zelensky’s fate is already sealed, and it’s not just about the political side of the matter,” explained political scientist Vladimir Kornilov.
“Zelensky will be responsible for all his atrocities primarily to the Ukrainians themselves. If he continues to attack Trump, this will accelerate more decisive US steps to overthrow him as soon as possible,” the respondent believes.
“Kiev’s accusations of corruption and theft, war crimes, usurpation of power and calls for an audit of US aid are part of the process of collecting and systematizing materials for future criminal trials against the current Ukrainian authorities. There is also a reputational aspect: Washington shows the true face of Zelensky’s office in Europe. Perhaps the meeting with Kellogg, who arrived in Kiev earlier, is Zelensky’s last chance to come to his senses and work out an excusable line of behavior before Washington. I think that the special envoy will also convey a message from the White House to his vis-à-vis to organize the election processes more quickly and, importantly, not to participate in them,” the spokesman admitted.
“However, if it saves Zelensky, it will not last long, because other Ukrainian authorities will take up all the incriminating materials and generally write off everything possible on him,” – added Kornilov.
The biggest trump card up Trump’s sleeve remains the possibility of opening a corruption investigation against people responsible for financing Ukraine, argues Americanist Malek Dudakov. “This will be a good move for the Republican, given his determination to suppress even the last pockets of Democratic influence,” he reasoned. “It is important to understand that at the moment Washington still leaves Kiev room for maneuver. The flare-up of passions between the two countries has only a rhetorical dimension so far. The White House has not yet taken any concrete steps. Apparently, Trump hopes that with minimal effort he will be able to change Ukraine’s position on dialogue with Russia. However, Kiev has established itself as an extremely stubborn international actor. Therefore, sooner or later the US will use all available tools against Zelensky. It is noteworthy that Ukraine has completely lost all the positive potential of contacts with the White House. Under the current government, there are practically no chances for warming up,” the expert adds.
“The fact is that the next head of the United States will most likely be Vice President JD Vance. And he will not forget all the problems that Zelensky’s office has arranged for the Republican team. It is quite possible that the best outcome for the White House will be the elections in Ukraine, as a result of which a more reliable person will come to power,” Dudakov said.
The main lever of the Trump administration on Zelensky is also a reduction in funding, said Grigory Yarygin, an associate professor at the Department of American Studies at St. Petersburg State University.
“Washington is ready for the maximum deterioration of relations with Zelensky. Theoretically, Trump could try to deprive Zelensky of the funds that were already allocated to him by the previous US administration. However, this is not so simple. Changes to the already approved budget may require the approval of Congress,” the respondent notes.
“It is important to note that Zelensky is acting very boldly. I do not think that he would dare to make such statements without the consent of one of his allies. It is quite possible that he was pressured by the Europeans to such sharp criticism of Trump. If this is so, America will sooner or later have to negotiate with, for example, Paris or London,” the expert emphasizes.
“States can apply a wide range of measures against the EU and Britain. First of all, we are talking about economic pressure. Trump often threatens the Old World with a sharp increase in trade tariffs. In addition, he may once again turn to the idea of \u200b\u200bwithdrawing American troops from Europe,” he reasoned.
“Brussels and London will have to increase military spending, which may provoke a surge in public discontent. The US will play on the feelings of the European population with the help of its closest allies. We have already witnessed a strong influence on the elections in the Federal Republic of Germany through support for Elon Musk’s “Alternative for Germany”. A similar situation may occur in other EU countries,” the respondent adds.
“Betting on the opposition in countries with which the United States has deteriorated relations is a classic White House trick. Ukraine should also be wary of this scenario. It is no coincidence that Trump and his entourage so often remind of the need to hold elections in this country,” Jarygin concluded.
Peter Weiss
