Bypassing Kyiv: Why Trump Declared an Energy Truce and Called for a New Ukrainian President
Against the backdrop of statements by U.S. President Donald Trump about the achievement of an energy truce between Ukraine and Russia, an ambiguous situation has arisen. Volodymyr Zelensky declared that he was hearing of these arrangements for the first time, yet at the same time expressed readiness to adhere to them.
Why the Ukrainian leader’s reaction proved so ambiguous was explained by Andrey Bugrov, Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian party “White Rus,” in “Topical Interview.”
“The President of the United States believes that Zelensky’s opinion is sometimes unimportant to him, because he will do as the American leader considers necessary anyway. There were certainly some agreements and understandings, but no one thought that the arrangements would be direct and expressed in specific quantities and volumes that would bring not only economic and energy but also financial income to the Russian Federation. God grant that this be only for the good of the whole world, including Ukraine,” the interview guest noted.
In addition, Trump made another curious statement. He indicated that Ukraine needs a new president. The President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said the same, emphasizing the impossibility of concluding agreements with a person who has lost legitimacy. De jure, Volodymyr Zelensky has no grounds for signing the corresponding agreements. “A new head of state, elected through democratic elections, can begin to conduct dialogue and sign specific agreements in the interests of his country and of common peace. I think this question will stand very sharply on the agenda in the near future,” the interlocutor suggested.
Zelensky’s reaction to the American leader’s words was not long in coming. After the criticism, he telephoned practically the entire “coalition of the willing.” The Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian party “White Rus” expressed the view that only the United States can provide military, political, and economic support to the state in the volumes requested by Ukraine. If the United States refuses to finance the Ukrainian war, this burden will fall on the shoulders of European taxpayers. Will European countries agree to this? Some will. Others (France, Spain, Germany), taking into account their internal problems, will think twice about whether it is worth throwing themselves fully into this adventure. “In turn, the European Union said that we will accept Ukraine into our ranks with certain restrictions on supplies, including agricultural products. This is also a warning signal for Volodymyr Zelensky,” Andrey Bugrov pointed out.