Zelenskyy publicly doubts US support for the first time: what’s behind these words
14 April 10:47
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed concern about the influence of Russian propaganda on American politicians and even questioned the United States’ support. He said this in an interview with the American TV channel CBS, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
In an interview with host Scott Pelley, the President of Ukraine spoke about the tense meeting at the White House that took place in February 2025 and his impressions of the new US administration’s position on the Russian-Ukrainian war.
“Unfortunately, Russian narratives prevail in the United States. How can you see our losses and our suffering, understand what the Russians are doing, and still believe that they are not aggressors, that they did not start this war? This shows the enormous influence of Russian information policy on America, on American politics and American politicians,”
– Zelensky said.
The President of Ukraine recalled that during a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump told him “You are playing with World War III.” Zelenskyy was particularly concerned that the American president spoke of the suffering of both sides – both the Ukrainian people and the Russian invaders. During the meeting, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance hinted that Putin could be trusted, and that Zelenskyy was creating a false narrative.
“It’s a change of tone, a change of reality, really, a change of reality, and I don’t want to participate in the changed reality that is being presented to me. First of all, we did not launch an attack [to start a war]. It seems to me that the vice president is somehow justifying Putin’s actions. I tried to explain: “You can’t look for something in the middle. There is an aggressor and a victim. The Russians are the aggressor, and we are the victim,”
– Zelensky said.
He invited Trump to visit Ukraine, emphasizing that it would not be “a theater with trained actors in the streets and in the city center.”
“We want you to come and see. You think you understand what is happening here. Well, we respect your position. You understand. But please, before any decisions, any forms of negotiations, come and see the people, the civilians, the soldiers, the hospitals, the churches, the children destroyed or killed. You can go exactly where you want, to any city that has been attacked.”
When asked by the host whether the United States supports Ukraine, Zelensky answered after a pause:
“Even in this pause of mine there is a problem. Because I want to answer truthfully and quickly that the United States is our strategic, strong partner. But the pause is a doubt. I have no doubt that the American people are with us. But in a long war, many details are forgotten. In Europe, everyone is afraid that the United States might move away from Europe.”
When asked whether Ukraine could do without the United States, the president replied:
“I think we will suffer great losses without the United States. Human and territorial. So I would not like to think about it. But this is our destiny, our land, our life. One way or another, we will end this war.”
President Zelenskyy’s rhetoric comes amid a dramatic shift in U.S. attitudes toward Ukraine. After moderate support from the Biden administration, today the White House is calling Zelenskyy a dictator, Ukraine is being blamed for the outbreak of war, and Trump is demanding that the Ukrainian government sign a bonded deal on subsoil.
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Trump’s position on Ukraine
During the election campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly said that he would stop the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. This deadline has already passed. After that, Trump’s entourage talked about 100 days within which he wanted to reach some kind of agreement. Of these, 84 days have already passed. During this time, the US presidential administration has established contact with the Kremlin, and American envoys have flown to Moscow several times and met with Russians in other countries. There was also a meeting between Ukraine and the United States. However, the war seems far from over.
During the election, the media spread the so-called “Trump Plan”. The idea was that the United States would use its influence to stop the war and maintain the status quo. To do this, Trump would force Putin and Zelenskyy to sit down at the negotiating table. If Putin does not agree to negotiate, the United States will give Ukraine all the weapons it needs to win on the battlefield. If Zelenskyy refuses to negotiate, the United States will completely stop helping Ukraine.
This plan, in its various variations, included a provision that Russia would retain the territories it temporarily occupied and that Ukraine would not join NATO.
However, later Trump seemed to “forget” about this plan. In particular, he voiced scenarios in which he would force Russia to capitulate due to the decline in world oil prices.
After Trump was elected President of the United States, one of his advisors, Brian Lanza, said that Ukraine should forget about Crimea. Trump’s entourage, however, was quick to deny this statement and said that Lanza could not speak for him.
Meanwhile, in exchange for military support, Trump demanded $500 billion worth of rare earth metals from Ukraine. He said that the US should have access to Ukraine’s natural resources, regardless of whether Kyiv manages to reach a peace deal with Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasizes that in exchange for this agreement, the Ukrainian side is not given any security guarantees.
Draft agreement between Ukraine and the United States: what is known
In February 2025, the United States and Ukraine reached a preliminary agreement aimed at jointly developing and managing Ukraine’s mineral resources. The agreement, known as the Bilateral Agreement Establishing Conditions for the Reconstruction Investment Fund, provides for the establishment of a joint investment fund to rebuild Ukraine’s war-ravaged economy. The main objective of the fund is to attract and reinvest revenues from Ukraine’s substantial mineral wealth to promote its recovery and long-term stability.
Key provisions of the draft agreement
Establishment of the Reconstruction Investment Fund. According to the text of the draft agreement published by The Kyiv Independent, the fund will be jointly owned and managed by the governments of the United States and Ukraine. The ownership and financial interests of each party will be defined in a subsequent agreement on the fund. The fund will be managed by representatives of both governments, and more detailed terms will be set out in a subsequent agreement.
Ukraine’s contribution. Ukraine commits to allocate 50% of its future revenues from the monetization of its natural resources, including minerals, hydrocarbons, oil, natural gas and other extractive infrastructure, to the Reconstruction Investment Fund. These contributions will continue until the amount reaches USD 500 billion. It is important to note that current sources of revenue that are already included in the general budget of Ukraine are not covered by this agreement.
The role of the United States. The U.S. government is committed to maintaining a long-term financial commitment aimed at developing a stable and economically prosperous Ukraine. This includes investments, financial instruments, and other tangible and intangible assets critical to Ukraine’s recovery. However, the agreement does not include specific security guarantees or continued arms transfers to Ukraine; these issues will be negotiated separately.
Provisions of the agreement as seen by MP Zheleznyak
MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak said that he had seen the text of the agreement and was horrified by it.
The MP described in detail the key points of the draft that cause concern:
- Management by 5 people, 3 of them from the United States with full veto power.
- We are already talking about all minerals. That is, there is oil and gas, both new and existing.
- All over the territory of Ukraine.
- We are talking about production by both state and private companies.
- The money is converted immediately into foreign currency.
- The fund’s money is withdrawn abroad. If for some reason something is not received on our part, we pay extra.
- The U.S. contribution is the assistance we have already received since 2022. And they can make a profit at their own discretion. And they receive the first (and then Ukraine) 4% of the “royalties” from the Fund.
- The agreement is valid indefinitely. It can be changed or terminated only with the permission of the Americans.
- “First night” rights for all new infrastructure projects and the right to veto the sale of resources to other countries.
- Nothing about security guarantees. Not even a hint.
Yaroslav Zheleznyak, MP
Meanwhile, the government assures that the agreement does not provide for the transfer of subsoil use rights or any property rights.According to Olha Stefanishyna, Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, the framework agreement between Ukraine and the United States is not an international treaty in the classical sense, but rather a political agreement that defines the intentions of the parties to create a joint Investment Recovery Fund.
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