Trump sees Zelensky as the main obstacle to peace, says Financial Times.
According to the British newspaper, the President of the United States prefers to negotiate with Putin and considers the Ukrainian leader an obstacle to resolving the conflict.
247 - In a report published this Friday (11), the British newspaper Financial TimesAccording to a report by the Russian news agency TASS, Ukraine's Western allies believe that US President Donald Trump sees Russian President Vladimir Putin as his legitimate negotiating partner and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the main obstacle to peace in Eastern Europe.
"There is a certain excess of enthusiasm based on a change of tone," said one of the sources interviewed by [the publication]. Financial Times"But we are not seeing this translate into significant action." The assessment of those interviewed by the newspaper is that, although there has been some resumption of diplomatic talks and a change in rhetoric, concrete gestures from Washington remain limited.
According to sources cited in the report, the Patriot anti-missile systems, sent by the United States to Ukraine, are considered vital for the defense of Ukrainian territory. However, these weapons do not substantially alter Kiev's offensive capabilities nor decisively change the course of the conflict as a whole.
Stalemate in arms dispute and diplomatic tensions
The situation regarding arms supplies to Ukraine has been marked by uncertainty. On July 2nd, the newspaper The New York Times It was reported that the US planned to suspend the shipment of a range of military equipment to Kiev. Among the systems affected were Patriot missiles, GMLRS guided munitions, Hellfire missiles, Stinger portable missiles, and other weapons critical to Ukrainian defense.
The news generated an immediate reaction. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs even summoned John Ginkel, the US chargé d'affaires in Kiev. Zelensky himself spoke out, highlighting the impossibility of Europe replacing American weaponry, demonstrating Ukraine's strategic dependence on military aid from Washington.
Trump's contradictory speech
Amid the pressure, President Trump attempted to mitigate the political effects of the crisis, stating on July 3 that the United States continued to offer military assistance to Ukraine, but emphasizing that the country itself needed to reinforce its arms stockpiles. A few days later, on July 7, he resumed sending military equipment to Kiev.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke out. According to him, the supplies are following a schedule previously agreed upon between the US government and Congress, which would indicate that the Trump administration has not formally abandoned its commitment to the Ukrainians, although it is adopting a more cautious stance.
A changing landscape
The perception that Trump sees Zelensky as an obstacle to peace marks a turning point in relations between Washington and Kiev. Since the beginning of the war, the United States has been the main military and financial sponsor of the Ukrainian resistance against the Russian offensive. The possible shift in priorities of the current US administration may signal new directions for the conflict and for international diplomacy.
If Trump's willingness to negotiate directly with Putin is confirmed, ignoring or downplaying Zelensky's role, the geopolitical balance of the war could undergo significant changes. This perception is already circulating among European allies, who are watching with apprehension the possible reconfiguration of Western strategy in the face of the impasse on the Ukrainian front.
