In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. initially supported President Volodymyr Zelensky as a hero. However, former President Trump is now revising the narrative, portraying Ukraine as a villain and Zelensky as a “dictator without elections” who instigated the war. Trump’s comments, which sparked outrage among many, assert that Zelensky deceived the U.S. into extensive financial aid. This marks a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy, potentially jeopardizing support for Ukraine. Critics, including his former vice president Mike Pence, emphasize the need to acknowledge that Russia unprovokedly began the conflict, while historical context shows Trump’s long-standing skepticism toward Ukraine.
In 2022, as Russian troops invaded Ukraine with the intent of erasing its sovereignty, the United States swiftly stepped in to support the struggling nation, portraying its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, as a symbol of resistance.
Nearly three years later, President Trump is attempting to reshape the narrative around Russia’s aggression. In his retelling, Ukraine is portrayed not as a victim but as a culprit, with Mr. Zelensky compared to a “dictator without elections” who allegedly instigated the conflict and deceived the U.S. into providing assistance.
This revisionist approach by Mr. Trump paves the way for a significant shift in geopolitical alliances, as he engages in discussions with Russia that Ukraine fears could jeopardize its interests. By vilifying Mr. Zelensky and reassigning responsibility for the war from Moscow to Kyiv, Mr. Trump appears to be setting the stage to withdraw support from a beleaguered ally.
The recent heated exchanges between Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky highlighted the stark changes brought about by a new administration in Washington. Even for Mr. Trump, a known critic of Ukraine who has openly admired President Vladimir V. Putin, the harshness directed at Mr. Zelensky elicited shock on both sides of the Atlantic.
Following his false assertion that Ukraine initiated the conflict, Mr. Trump amplified his stance on Wednesday with a startling attack on the leader of a U.S. ally, based on misinformation. “Consider this, a somewhat successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, persuaded the United States to spend $350 Billion Dollars on a war that couldn’t be won,” he stated on social media.
This remark is a glaring misrepresentation of the facts. Mr. Zelensky did not manipulate the United States into funding a “war”; his country faced an invasion, which prompted the U.S. under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to respond with substantial financial aid. Furthermore, the actual amount of U.S. assistance has been roughly a third of what Mr. Trump claimed.
Continuing his tirade, Mr. Trump framed Mr. Zelensky as not a champion of democracy, but rather an adversary of it. “He avoids holding elections, has low approval ratings in Ukraine, and excelled at playing Biden ‘like a fiddle,'” Mr. Trump tweeted. “A dictator without elections, Zelenskyy better act quickly or he might lose his country.”
While Ukraine has paused elections due to wartime conditions, Mr. Zelensky was actually elected by a considerable margin in 2019 in a process recognized as free and fair by international observers—unlike Mr. Putin, whose regime has survived for over twenty-five years through elections widely criticized as lacking legitimacy. Moreover, a recent poll indicates that Mr. Zelensky maintains a 57 percent approval rating, surpassing that of Mr. Trump.
Hours before his “dictator” comment, Mr. Trump had referred to himself on social media in relation to a domestic issue as “the king,” an image reinforced by a White House aide who shared an illustration depicting Mr. Trump in royal attire.
Mr. Trump’s attack on Mr. Zelensky, while absent of any strong language directed at Mr. Putin, incited outrage among European leaders, Washington Democrats, and even a handful of Republicans willing to voice their dissent.
“Mr. President, Ukraine did not ‘start’ this war,” remarked Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice president, online. “Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion that has taken countless lives. The path to peace must be based on the truth.”
Charles M. Kupperman, who was Mr. Trump’s deputy national security adviser during his first term, likened the president’s actions to the British prime minister who attempted to placate Adolf Hitler by conceding part of Czechoslovakia. “Trump’s legacy will be that of a surrender artist akin to Neville Chamberlain,” Mr. Kupperman remarked in an interview.
Moscow appeared to welcome this narrative. Dmitri A. Medvedev, a senior adviser to Mr. Putin and former interim president, highlighted Mr. Trump’s remarks about Mr. Zelensky being a dictator. “If you had told me just three months ago that these would be the words of the U.S. president, I would have laughed aloud,” he posted online. Mr. Trump, he noted, “is 200 percent correct. A bankrupt clown.”
Historically, U.S. presidents have often grown disillusioned with foreign allies they aimed to assist during times of war. Franklin D. Roosevelt found little respect for Charles de Gaulle even as American forces fought to free France. John F. Kennedy became so estranged from South Vietnam’s Ngo Dinh Diem that his administration did not prevent a coup.
Both George W. Bush and Barack Obama experienced frustrations with Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, whom they deemed unpredictable and unhelpful. Mr. Biden has expressed irritation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu even while backing his military efforts against Hamas. By the same token, Mr. Biden’s rapport with Mr. Zelensky has had its own tense moments.
Yet, Mr. Trump has surpassed his predecessors in the level of public disdain expressed toward an ally facing a critical threat, employing rhetoric typically reserved for adversaries.
Vice President JD Vance, who previously remarked in 2022 that “I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine,” even cautioned Mr. Zelensky against resistance. After Mr. Zelensky asserted on Wednesday that Mr. Trump was “caught in a web of disinformation,” Mr. Vance told The Daily Mail that such remarks would be counterproductive.
“The notion that Zelensky will alter the president’s mind by criticizing him publicly,” he stated, is “a foolish strategy when dealing with this administration.”
Mr. Trump’s ambivalence toward Ukraine predates the latest conflict. During his initial presidential campaign in 2016, he suggested he could accept Russia’s unlawful annexation of Crimea and praised Mr. Putin’s strength.
His indifference escalated into outright hostility when he became convinced that Ukraine had engaged in interference during the 2016 election against him, adopting a narrative advanced by Russia, which, in reality, intervened to bolster Mr. Trump. This perspective was encouraged by his ally, former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York, who maintained connections with Ukrainian figures. As such, Mr. Trump increasingly viewed Ukraine as a personal adversary.
“During his first term, Trump was motivated by a strong desire to disprove any claims of Russian collusion in the 2016 election,” Mr. Kupperman recalled. “He aimed to show he won without external influence, and the notion that he benefited from Russian assistance tormented him. Ukraine became a way for him to demonstrate his victory without such interference.”
This culminated in the infamous 2019 phone call with Mr. Zelensky, in which he pressured Ukraine to investigate alleged corruption tied to Mr. Biden, who was then the leading Democratic contender for the presidency. Simultaneously, he withheld military assistance to Ukraine, only releasing it after facing pressure from advisers and Republican senators. The exposure of these actions ultimately led to his impeachment by the House later that year.
When Russia launched a comprehensive invasion in 2022, Mr. Trump expressed minimal sympathy or support for Ukraine, despite widespread displays of solidarity in the U.S. with blue-and-yellow flags. In fact, preceding the invasion, he praised Mr. Putin’s “genius” in exerting pressure on Ukraine.
In the intervening years, he has frequently questioned Mr. Biden’s choice to allocate substantial American resources for Ukraine’s defense, much like commentators such as Tucker Carlson and others on the far-right of the Republican Party, even as mainstream party leaders criticized Mr. Biden for insufficient support.
Under pressure from Mr. Trump, House Republicans delayed a new aid request for months, undermining Ukrainian forces and allowing Russian invaders to regroup and fortify their positions. Only after pressure from GOP allies and foreign dignitaries did he eventually permit House Republicans to authorize the aid.
Although many Americans may understandably oppose spending taxpayer money on foreign conflicts, Mr. Trump further questions whether Ukraine is truly the victim. In recent statements, he has lamented the loss of life and destruction within the country.
However, in doing so, he shifts responsibility, implicating Mr. Zelensky rather than Mr. Putin, for the devastation. “I love Ukraine,” he tweeted on Wednesday, “but Zelenskyy has done a poor job, his country is in ruins, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died.”