As Trump turns toward Russia, Zelensky drops his restraint

President Volodymyr Zelensky has spent much of the past two years trying to win over Donald Trump. Flattery, constant meetings, and carefully calibrated concessions have become hallmarks of his dealings with the U.S. president.

But the strategy has failed, prompting Zelensky to change course and adopt a more confrontational tone.

"Frankly, Trump has crossed the Rubicon," a Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent, summing up the mood in Kyiv following Washington's latest deals with Moscow and its obstruction of Ukraine's ability to defend itself.

Since the February 2025 Oval Office clash, Zelensky and his team have pursued a carefully calibrated diplomatic strategy aimed at avoiding friction with Washington and preventing the U.S. from pulling back its support. They have closely managed their public messaging, repeatedly thanking Trump and his administration, at times almost as a matter of routine.

Yet months have passed with little progress in U.S.-mediated peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow. Each new round has followed much the same pattern: Washington holds talks with both sides, then presents a proposal largely aligned with Moscow's demands. Kyiv pushes to renegotiate the terms in pursuit of a fairer deal, only for the negotiations to collapse once again.

According to officials and experts who spoke to the Kyiv Independent, Trump's recent dealings with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as well as Washington's obstruction of Ukraine's ability to defend itself, went too far, leaving Zelensky with little room to maneuver.

And Zelensky came out swinging.

"It's a pity that we're losing a strong partner," Zelensky said in an interview aired on Oct. 14, responding to Trump lifting sanctions on Russian oil. "When President Trump chooses one side, not our side. If you're in the middle, you have to stay in the middle, not on the wrong side… I don't know who pushed (Trump), but this is not the right side of history."

"The masks have been taken off. Trump doesn't want Ukraine to win."

Oleksandr Merezhko, chair of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, says Zelensky has focused his criticism on Trump's actions rather than making the dispute personal, taking care "not to wound his ego."

"Zelensky is delicate but firm," Merezhko told the Kyiv Independent. "The president can't stay silent when Trump has effectively struck a deal with Putin. The masks have been taken off. Trump doesn't want Ukraine to win."

Describing Zelensky's comments as "quite provocative" and "emotional," Oleksandr Kraiev, head of the North America program at the Ukrainian Prism think-tank, says Ukraine is right to push back against Trump's actions. According to Kraiev, Kyiv's silence could encourage European countries to follow Trump's business-driven approach.

"This is not about personal attitudes, but about seeing reality as it is. Trump's view of reality is distorted," he continues.

The looming U.S. midterm elections in early November are seen as a key factor behind Trump's hostile rhetoric and actions toward Kyiv.

Ukrainian officials had long expected relations with Washington to come under strain, as Trump's eight-month-long war with Iran had caused a global spike in fuel prices and was expected to severely damage his party's chances at the ballot box.

At an EU summit in Brussels last week, Zelensky was asked whether Trump was using him as a scapegoat for his troubles at home and abroad. Zelensky responded with a smile.

Merezhko argues that Ukraine should focus not on appealing to Trump, but on appealing to "forces that can limit his mistakes."

"We must avoid giving the impression that we are taking sides in the election campaign by backing the Democrats. Many Republicans criticize Trump's actions," he says. "It is crucial for us that Ukraine's friends win. And we have friends in both camps — Republicans and Democrats."

As Zelensky pushes back against what he sees as Trump's tilt toward Russia, his increasingly firm defense of Ukraine's interests has boosted his domestic support.

In Ukraine, many see Trump's pressure on the president as pressure on the country itself, prompting Ukrainians to rally around Zelensky. The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) has described this as a "rally-round-the-flag" effect.

After the Oval Office clash, Zelensky's approval rating jumped from 57% to 68%. Following the latest dispute, Zelensky received a similar boost. Around 43% of Ukrainians trusted Zelensky between Oct. 8 and 9, while 52% did not. Between Oct. 10 and 16, his trust rating rose to 57%, while the share of those who distrusted him fell to 39%, according to a KIIS poll published on Oct. 20.

Zelensky, whose standing has been battered over the past year by corruption scandals involving members of his inner circle, appears to understand this correlation well.

Asked whether he would run for re-election if a presidential vote were held during the war, Zelensky said he was ready to do so, calling it his "responsibility." He had previously largely evaded the question of whether he would seek another term.

"Even in moves that are entirely focused on foreign policy, Zelensky clearly has domestic political calculations in mind," Kraiev says. "His ratings are rising, and he has come to embody a Ukraine united against both Russia and an unpredictable America."

"When (else) should he start thinking about domestic politics?"

Note from the author:

Hello there! This is Kateryna Denisova, the author of this piece.