The fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance as Trump sides with Russia
08:01 Share

Lately, when President Trump talks about Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, he sounds a lot like Russian President Vladimir Putin. I think I have the power to end this war.

And I think it's going very well. But today I heard, oh, we weren't invited. Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it three years. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal. That was Trump speaking at Mar-a-Lago this week, echoing a popular Kremlin talking point, the false assertion that Ukraine started the war with Russia, a war that saw Russian troops pour over Ukraine's border and Russian missiles and drones bombard Ukrainian cities for three years.

Trump was referring to a meeting that happened earlier this week. Top U.S. and Russian officials gathered in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war. Not included in the meeting? Anyone from Ukraine. These comments have shaken supporters of Ukraine and its allies, both here and abroad. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer responded to some of Trump's comments on the Senate floor this week. Some of his comments sounded straight from a Russian propaganda playbook.

Zelensky responded too. He spoke through an interpreter to a small group of reporters at the presidential palace in Kiev on Wednesday morning, saying that while he respected Trump as a leader, Trump was living in what Zelensky called a circle of Russian disinformation. I would like to see more truth from the Trump team.

because this affects Ukraine and not in a positive way. The United States has an embarrassing record of naivety, of somehow thinking that they could figure out the Russians and work with them like they were some sort of normal country. Retired General Ben Hodges was commanding general of U.S. Army Europe from 2014 to 2017.

He spoke on NPR's Here and Now. All of our allies and friends in Eastern Europe, they are just amazed that we still continue to believe that somehow Russia has good intentions and they just want to be a normal, responsible country. The Russians have not stepped away from their original objective of destroying Ukraine as a state or destroying the idea of Ukraine as a state.

Consider this. As the once cold relations between the U.S. and Russia begin to thaw, the fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance. From NPR, I'm Scott Detrow.

This message comes from Greenlight. Parents rank financial literacy as the number one most difficult life skill to teach. With Greenlight, the debit card and money app for families, kids learn to earn, save, and spend wisely. Get started risk-free at greenlight.com slash NPR.

This message comes from Schwab. At Schwab, how you invest is your choice, not theirs. That's why when it comes to managing your wealth, Schwab gives you more choices. You can invest and trade on your own. Plus, get advice and more comprehensive wealth solutions to help meet your unique needs. With award-winning service, low costs, and transparent advice, you can manage your wealth your way at Schwab. Visit schwab.com to learn more.

This message comes from Home Instead. Home Instead knows that if you leave home to seek aging care, you leave behind more than just empty rooms. You say goodbye to the place where you built your life. So why not stay home instead? With help from Home Instead and their trusted caregivers, you can stay in the place where your memories were made. Learn more at HomeInstead.com. Home Instead. For a better what's next.

It's Consider This from NPR. For the past three years, the U.S. has been Ukraine's leading supporter in its war with Russia. But with a series of stunning moves, President Trump is now sounding more aligned with Russia than with Ukraine.

To break this down, we are joined by NPR's Greg Myrie in Washington and Joanna Kikis in Kiev. Hey to both of you. Hello. Hi, Scott. Greg, I want to start with you. Trump is publicly attacking Ukraine's president. Why? Why is he doing this? Well, Scott, Trump has been critical of Ukraine and Zelensky dating back to his first term, but we've never seen language this harsh.

Writing on social media, Trump said, quote, a dictator without elections, Zelensky better move fast or he's not going to have a country left. So in the past week, Trump has also reached out to Russia, which had been isolated under the Biden administration. Trump called Russian leader Vladimir Putin and senior Trump aides met with their Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia without Ukraine present.

And this all seems to be part of Trump's very aggressive campaign for a ceasefire. And he's going about it by putting very intense public pressure on Ukraine and Zelensky, who are in a vulnerable position on the battlefield.

Joanna, how are people in Ukraine responding? Specifically, how is Zelensky responding? So Zelensky has remained calm and he's tried to be diplomatic. And he seemed concerned, not angry, when he said yesterday that President Trump seems to live in a Russian-created space of disinformation.

Trump is repeating Kremlin talking points. He's blaming Ukraine for the war, even as Russia continues to attack the country every night. And he's claiming Zelensky is an illegitimate president. And now Ukrainians are, you know, they very much want this war to end, but they've been watching the Trump administration's actions with disbelief. We spoke to several Ukrainians who are outraged by Trump's comments.

Olena Tokovenko, she's a 47-year-old lawyer, she said Trump is acting like he owns Ukraine. Maybe Trump can just tell us who to elect and maybe even offer his own candidate? Maybe though we should not ask Trump, but Putin, what to do. This would cut out a middleman, right?

Because this is Russia's policy coming through Trump. The feeling that the White House is aligned with Russia is so shocking to Ukrainians because they have staked their very survival as a country on Western-style democracy and liberty, which they believe the U.S. was a beacon of.

So Trump is attacking Zelensky, echoing Kremlin talking points. Zelensky is responding. But Joanna, at the same time, Trump's envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, is in Kiev. How is he being received? Well, Scott, he's here this week, but it's really not clear how much authority he has. And this point seemed to be driven home today when we went to the presidential palace for another press conference, this time with Kremlin.

Okay. So, Greg, what is likely to happen with U.S. military support for Ukraine? It's billions and billions of dollars.

So for the moment, it continues. This is part of a big package approved last year by the Biden administration. It's still working its way through the pipeline. But it is winding down, and Trump is giving no indication that he'll seek more. In fact, just the opposite. He says Zelensky's great skill has been to get the U.S. to send him money and suggesting that there won't be more going to Ukraine. Now, the Europeans are helping with their own military assistance, but

But without American aid, the Ukrainians will be stretched very thin. For example, Ukraine needs regular resupplies of air defense missiles to shoot down these daily and nightly Russian airstrikes. Question for both of you. Trump really seems to be in a hurry here to get ceasefire negotiations started. What are the various parties? We're talking Trump in America, Ukraine and Russia. What do they want from these talks? Greg, let me start with you.

Yeah, I spoke with Andrew Weiss at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington. He says Trump wants this ceasefire, but doesn't seem particularly interested in the details. He said Russia is also interested in a ceasefire, but has very expansive and ambitious aims. The Russians are pressing for a big ceasefire, and that ceasefire would include caps on the size of Ukraine's military.

It would impose strict limits on Western cooperation with Ukraine, and it would close the door to Ukraine's membership in NATO.

Joanna, what about Ukraine? So, Scott, Ukraine wants very strong security guarantees to protect itself from Russia to avoid more invasions in the future. And Zelensky says he will not give up Ukraine's push for NATO membership or its wish to get back territory occupied by Russia. And Ukrainians, they also want Russia to be held accountable for war crimes. But with the Trump administration, all this is up in the air.

That is NPR's Joanna Kakissis in Kiev, as well as NPR's Greg Myrie talking to us from Washington. Thanks to both of you. You're welcome. Thanks, Scott. This episode was produced by Mark Rivers and Brianna Scott. It was edited by Jeanette Woods, Tara Neal, Patrick Jaron-Waddanon, and Nadia Lansi. Our executive producer is Sammy Yannigan. It's Consider This from NPR. I'm Scott Detrow.

Support for NPR and the following message come from State Farm. As a State Farm agent and agency owner, Lakeisha Gaines understands the support small businesses need. Every day we get the privilege of helping people to recover from the unexpected, realize their dreams, and help manage the risk of everyday life.

And for small business owners, we help them to think about all the things that are necessary so that they can continue to run their businesses successfully without interruption. As a business owner myself, I first reflect back to the experiences that I have.

So we look at their liability. We look at their retirement. We look at the interruption coverage, everything that they need in order to continue to operate efficiently. Talk to your local agent about small business insurance from State Farm. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

This message comes from Alfred A. Knopf, publisher of Bill Gates' new memoir, Source Code, My Beginnings. The business leader and philanthropist tells his own story for the first time. Source Code is available everywhere books and audiobooks are sold.