US President Donald Trump’s personal animosity toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may be influencing Washington’s approach to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
This was reported by Politico, citing European officials and diplomats.
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Trump recently said that Russia had “been fine on Ukraine” and “not been doing that much,” despite intensifying Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities. His remarks reinforced concerns among European allies that Washington is putting more pressure on Kyiv than Moscow.
“I do think it’s a personal thing,” David Lidington, a former British Cabinet minister and distinguished fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told Politico.
He cited Trump’s “personal predilections for dictators and autocrats” and “his desire to give opportunities to US businesses” as important factors behind the president’s approach.
EU officials privately share that assessment.
“Trump doesn’t like [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky. He just doesn’t like him,” one government official who has observed both leaders closely told Politico.
“That makes it harder to get the US to help on peace. Everything is a rational business deal with Trump, until it’s not,” the official added.
A diplomat from an EU country said Trump had repeatedly criticized Ukraine, the EU and NATO while rarely making comparable criticisms of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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“He seems to be supportive of the Russians,” the diplomat said, adding that Europe must contend with “an administration that seems to be more pro-Russian than anything else.”
As per the report, Trump’s animosity toward Zelensky may date back to 2019, when he pressed the Ukrainian leader to help investigate Joe Biden, who later defeated him in the 2020 election.
Lidington also pointed to the February 2025 Oval Office confrontation between Trump and Zelensky, saying he believed the encounter had a strong personal dimension.
“It was clear that in the infamous meeting in the White House that Trump and [Vice President JD] Vance had planned that public beating-up of Zelensky,” Lidington said.
He added that Trump appeared particularly drawn to authoritarian leaders.
Recalling a 2018 dinner with world leaders in Paris, Lidington said Trump seemed impatient with French President Emmanuel Macron and then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, while showing greater interest in leaders such as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Pressure on Kyiv, doubts about Moscow
Trump’s repeated criticism of Zelensky has alarmed European officials, who believe Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown little genuine interest in ending the war.
“American negotiators have been trying to push Ukraine into surrender for already almost 2 years, 1.5 years now,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told the European Parliament on Tuesday.
She said Ukraine had resisted surrendering on Putin’s terms largely because of Europe’s support.
“There is a clear consensus across Europe that Putin does not want peace,” a second EU diplomat told Politico. “He will need to be forced into peace.“
Instead, Trump has accused Zelensky of not wanting to end the war and suggested that Ukraine should replace its leader or change its negotiating representative. He has also argued that Zelensky could have reached a deal with Moscow earlier.
“Ukraine’s leader is feeling the strain, as he told his EU counterparts in private meetings in Brussels last week, according to the first diplomat,“ Politico’s report said.
A senior European official told the outlet that Trump’s approach reflects a mix of political calculations, business interests and personal preferences.
“They are currently in an election cycle and need someone to blame for rising prices,” the official said.
EU diplomats have also expressed frustration at being excluded from US-Russia discussions.
“There is probably much more dialogue between the Americans and the Russians than we might know,” one diplomat said.
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