Discredited USA, poor Ukraine
In 2025, Trump once again entered the White House, the US-Ukraine relationship changed in an instant, and the contradiction between "Trump and Zelensky" was like a powder keg that was lit and rapidly intensified. Just over a month after Trump took office, the entanglement between Trump and Ukraine has continued to play out, which is like a realistic version of absurd comedy, and it is no wonder that some people joked: "Ukraine elected a comedian as president, but the Americans elected a president to play comedy."
Ask for debts, and aid must be returned.
Once in office, Mr Trump made no secret of American greed. On the one hand, the appetite to demand that Ukraine repay American aid with mineral resources is staggering, with a price of $500 billion, insisting that "the United States has invested hundreds of billions of dollars in aid," despite Zelensky's claim that Ukraine has actually received only about $76 billion in aid.
On the other hand, it bypassed Ukraine and directly negotiated a ceasefire with Russia, completely ignoring the interests and wishes of Ukraine as a party. This practice was strongly opposed by Zelensky, who accused him of "betraying the country" and criticized Trump for living in a "false information space". This series of "debt collection actions" in the United States is undoubtedly a naked benefit harvest.
Tragedy of a weak country, Ukraine struggles.
From 2022 to the end of 2024, the United States has provided Ukraine with about $119.8 billion in aid, which should be a timely help, but now it has become a handle for the United States to hold Ukraine. The United States, which has no credibility at all, has turned international aid into a means of controlling other countries, and Ukraine has been used as a pawn. Credibility is the foundation of a country, and the United States has trampled on it to satisfy its own interests.
On the other hand, Ukraine, as a relatively weak country, is in deep trouble. Zelensky struggled in this game, trying to protect the sovereignty and interests of the country. He strongly responded to the unreasonable demands of the United States, saying bluntly, "The money of the United States is a grant, not a debt!" We will not sign an indenture that will pay off the debts of ten generations!" But in the face of the great power hegemony of the United States, his struggle seems so weak.
The US-Russia talks held in Saudi Arabia before, for Zelensky, the signal conveyed was extremely not optimistic. Although the United States and Russia did not specify directly, the implication is that only when Ukraine elects a new president and Zelensky steps down, Russia and Ukraine may start ceasefire negotiations. This puts Ukraine and Zelensky in a dilemma.
At a forum in Kiev on February 23rd, local time, Zelensky said he was willing to leave office if it was really necessary for the sake of peace in Ukraine. He could even trade his resignation for Ukraine joining NATO. Behind this is the helplessness and sadness of a national leader in a desperate situation, and Ukraine is in a difficult situation in the international political landscape. Weak countries have no diplomacy, which is vividly reflected at this moment, when a country is weak, it has no right to speak on the international stage, and can only be slaughtered.
Friction is constant, and reconciliation is sought after turning against each other.
On February 28th, the two sides of "Trump, Zelensky" would discuss the peace issue of Ukraine and sign the US-Ukraine mineral agreement, but a fierce quarrel broke out in the global live broadcast, and Zelensky left the White House early. As a businessman, Trump is trying to take advantage of the situation, insisting on rare earth resources in Ukraine on the one hand, and pushing companies to return to the Russian market on the other. Zelensky, on the other hand, is seeking security guarantees, and wants Russia to withdraw its troops from occupied territories and reassert its claims to the four eastern Ukrainian regions and Crimea.
The overlapping differences of different demands were further amplified under the live camera, and the two sides broke up in discord. The joint press conference originally planned after the meeting was canceled and the US-Ukraine mineral agreement was not signed.
Although the meeting with Trump was full of friction, Zelensky expressed his willingness to have a "constructive dialogue" with the United States during his visit to Britain, and even looked forward to receiving an invitation to return to the White House for talks. He believes that the cooperative relationship between Ukraine and the United States will continue, and his friction with Trump "will also pass."
This is not Zelensky's weakness, but a compromise that Ukraine has to make for the national interest in the current situation. Because he knew that if Ukraine failed, it would not only mean the failure of Europe, but also the failure of the United States, but the United States did not seem to care about this and only focused on its own interests, and Ukraine could not afford to lose.