'Trump and Vance were so rude': Ukrainians react to disastrous White House meeting

Regardless of whether President Zelenskyy's visit to the Oval Office was an ambush or whether he should have adopted a more diplomatic approach, the visit was undoubtedly a disaster for Ukraine. For those in Kyiv following the situation, their nation's future hangs in the balance.

"It was an emotional conversation, but I understand our president," Yulia told me near Kyiv's golden-domed St. Sophia Cathedral. "Maybe not diplomatic enough, but very sincere. It's about survival, we want to live." Yulia's view reflects a political pattern in Ukraine: the more the country is attacked, the more united it becomes.

Before the full-scale invasion in 2022, President Zelenskyy's approval rating was 37%. Afterwards, it soared to 90%. Before Donald Trump's potential return to office in early 2025, it stood at 52%. After he accused Ukraine of provoking the war, the approval rating reached 65%. "They (Donald Trump and JD Vance) are too rude, they don't respect the Ukrainian people!" said 30-year-old Andriy. 26-year-old Dmitry observed: "It seems Washington is supporting Russia!"

Volodymyr Paniotto, director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, explained, "When things get worse, we rally around the flag again." While world leaders' approval ratings tend to decline over time, Mr. Paniotto said that President Zelenskyy is not immune. His approval rating was particularly hit after the failed Ukrainian counteroffensive in 2023 and the dismissal of the popular Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, a year later. However, Donald Trump's new, transactional, and often hostile attitude towards Ukraine has forced the country to unite and prepare for further uncertainty, especially given his warming stance towards Russia.

Opposition MP Inna Sovsun stated, "The initial reaction was shock. It is painful to see a president, a victim of Russian aggression, being attacked by the leader of the free world." Ukrainian television channels reported the scene in a more restrained manner yesterday: a minerals agreement between Ukraine and the United States was not signed at all. Perhaps, considering it did not include the American security guarantees that Kyiv and Europe desperately want, it was not as tempting for Zelenskyy as previously implied. "We need to look for stronger allies in Europe, Canada, Australia, and Japan, who have been supporting us," Sovsun argued.

There is clearly deep resentment between Washington and Kyiv. However, Sovsun believes that Ukraine should not give up on negotiations, but rather reframe the debate. "It is important to find the right mediator," she said. "Someone Trump can endorse, and someone we trust. Like Giorgia Meloni of Italy. In any case, we should not agree to demands for the president to resign, and I say this as an opposition MP. It goes against the idea of democracy."

President Zelenskyy hoped his trip to Washington would lead to deeper cooperation with the United States, which in turn would bring lasting peace. Sovsun believes that no one desires this more than Ukrainians. "We are the ones who are suffering, and it is extremely difficult to live under this pressure," she added. "Just this morning, I read that my friend's son had died, his second son to be killed in the war." The MP and countless Ukrainians do not want a hasty solution. The ceasefire agreements reached with Russia in 2014 and 2015 only allowed Moscow to prepare for the full-scale invasion years later.

Ukrainian MP Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze expected support for her country's cause to diminish during a second Trump presidency, but not to this extent. "This minerals agreement did not obligate the US to help us militarily, or to escalate or continue the support it currently provides," she said. While parliamentary unity remains behind President Zelenskyy and the paused elections, MPs like Klympush-Tsintsadze have been calling for more involvement in negotiations. Her European Solidarity party is chaired by former President Petro Poroshenko, a fierce rival of Zelenskyy. He was even recently sanctioned by the Ukrainian leader on the grounds that he was "threatening national security" and "creating obstacles to economic development," according to Ukrainian security services. Mr. Poroshenko said this was "politically motivated." Nevertheless, the former president said he recognized Zelenskyy's legitimacy as leader to counter contrary claims from the US and Russia.

As sirens blare and missiles strike cities, the war continues to rage despite talk of ending it. Russia has not relinquished its demands for Ukraine's political capitulation and full control of four regions. "This war is not about some region, town, or tree line in the east," said Taras Chmut, head of the Come Back Alive Foundation. The organization was founded after Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014 to raise military equipment for those fighting with the Ukrainian army. "This war will determine the world order for decades to come. Whether this world will still exist depends on how this war goes," he said.

Trump is relentlessly pursuing his "America First" policy, hoping that Europe will provide security on a continent where he is less willing to offer security guarantees. But Europe is divided on this, and where there is consensus, peace is impossible without the United States as a safety net. "Europe and the world again want to close their eyes and believe in miracles, but miracles will not happen," Mr. Chmut said. "Countries must accept reality and do something about it. Otherwise, you will be next to disappear - after Ukraine."