Zelenskyy faces choice: sign ’bad’ deal and get aid, or be left without US support - Economist
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should do everything to salvage as much US aid as Donald Trump is willing to give him.
This is stated in the article by The Economist, Censor.NET reports.
Trump's foreign policy is based on the formula: the more you depend on the United States, the worse it can treat you. The world must learn this lesson after it became known that the United States has suspended military aid to Ukraine until it accepts Trump's conditions for peace with Russia.
"Bitter as it will be, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president should now swallow his pride and do what he must to salvage as much American help as Mr Trump is willing to give. Do not imagine that the outcome will be good for Ukraine, Europe or even America. It will just be less awful than what would follow from Mr Zelensky’s continued defiance," the article writes.
Mr Trump and his supporters argue that he is working for peace, so his tactics are justified. He shares the Biden administration's fears that a conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia is very dangerous, and that Ukraine could drag the US into World War III.
"When Mr Zelensky pleads for American security guarantees, Mr Trump argues that he is providing them in the form of mining investments to extract what he calls "raw earth" and other critical minerals. Russia, he argues, would not dare to invade Ukraine if that entails seizing American assets and killing American workers... The presence of American-owned businesses across the country did not protect Ukraine when Russia attacked in 2014 or 2022. And if Western security fails in Ukraine, then Russia will be emboldened to threaten and harm other countries—especially because Mr Trump is rapidly normalising relations with Russia," journalists note.
Trump believes that Putin, would never cross him. But why not? Trump has just demonstrated that Ukraine is not worth fighting for. Therefore, it would be strange for Zelenskyy to trust Trump after Russia violated Donbas ceasefire agreements during Trump’s first term, especially after a dispute in the White House on 28 February 2025, the newspaper writes.
"And even if Mr Putin held back out of respect for Mr Trump during the next four years, he may not feel bound to keep the peace after 2029," The Economist stresses.
For these reasons, Zelenskyy had the right to ask for American security guarantees in Washington, but he did not receive them and is unlikely to receive them.
The publication notes that Zelenskyy faces a choice:
- a bad deal on mining without security guarantees, but with the possibility of getting at least some American aid and European military presence;
- no deal and no US support.
The authors of the article believe that Zelenskyy should agree to the deal, as it increases the chances that he will continue to receive US communications, intelligence and even some weapons.
At the same time, Trump is also more likely to agree to European countries buying US weapons to equip Ukraine's army if Putin violates the ceasefire.
Ukraine will also have some leverage over Trump. It could threaten to withdraw from the deal and embarrass Trump if he tries to impose a peace that is unacceptable to Ukraine.
