The rapprochement between Zelensky and Trump and the anger of many Ukrainians with Joe Biden

Yesterday I discussed here some possible effects of Donald Trump's victory in the United States presidential elections.

Russia attacks Ukraine with North Korean missiles but Biden vetoes a counterattack by Ukraine
Biden's veto allows Putin to launch massive attack on Ukrainian cities

One of the points I made was Trump's position on Ukraine, specifically his messages claiming that he can quickly achieve peace in that country, but without explaining how, which has increased fears of a concession by the 47th US president to Russia. At the end of my article I said that we would see what happens next and whether the things that were said during the election campaign are maintained from now on. It seems that there are already some changes.

Zelensky's lengthy congratulations to Trump on his victory

Yesterday at 09:08 CET, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted his congratulations to Trump. He was one of the first foreign leaders to send such a message to the Republican candidate shortly after the election results were announced. In his lengthy, six-paragraph message, Zelensky said:

I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September, when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine.

I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the “peace through strength” approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together.

We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership. We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States.

Zelensky evokes Reagan, a great reference for US conservatives

The message included warm words from the Ukrainian president to Trump. It was a clear sign of Zelensky's willingness to come to an understanding with the new US president, whose support is very important for Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invasion. In the afternoon, Zelensky again praised Trump and evoked the figure of Ronald Reagan, a great reference for US conservatives and a person who played a key role in the fall of communism in Europe:

For us in Ukraine, and all across Europe, it has always been crucial to hear the words of the then 45th President of the United States about “peace through strength.”

When this principle becomes the policy of the 47th President, both America and the entire world will undoubtedly benefit.

It’s no coincidence that Ronald Reagan is mentioned so often these days—people want confidence, they want freedom, they want a normal life. For us, that means a life free from Russian aggression, with a strong America, a strong Ukraine, and strong allies.

Zelensky has already had "an excellent call" with Trump

At 11:27 p.m. CET, Zelensky posted a new Twitter message commenting that he had already spoken with Trump, and with a positive result, judging by his words:

I had an excellent call with President Donald Trump and congratulated him on his historic landslide victory — his tremendous campaign made this result possible. I praised his family and team for their great work.

We agreed to maintain close dialogue and advance our cooperation. Strong and unwavering U.S. leadership is vital for the world and for a just peace.

The reasons why many Ukrainians are angry with Joe Biden

Some will accuse Zelensky of opportunism. After all, he is the president of a nation under attack and in need of US support, and that means making certain gestures that would not otherwise be made. However, it should be remembered that the current president, Joe Biden, has ended up disappointing and angering many Ukrainians, which makes this rapprochement between Zelensky and Trump easier.

The main reason for this anger is Biden's veto of Ukraine's use of long-range American missiles against Russian territory, despite repeated Ukrainian requests to do so, not to attack civilian targets, but to destroy Russian missile launch sites targeting Ukrainian cities. In recent months, I have already criticized Biden's decision here, a veto that has been maintained even when Russia has attacked civilian targets in Ukraine with North Korean missiles.

On October 30, following a new Russian attack on a residential building in Kharkiv, Zelensky sharply criticized the veto and the delays in sending military aid: "Partners see what happens every day. In these circumstances, every delayed decision on their part means dozens or even hundreds more Russian bombs used against Ukraine. Their decisions are the lives of our people. That is why we must stop Russia together — and do so with all possible force."

Zelensky's complaint about the delay of 90% of US military aid

That same day, Zelenskiy claimed that Ukraine has received only 10% of the US military aid approved by Congress earlier this year. The claim fell like a bucket of cold water on the White House, unable to refute this claim because, as Stefan Korshak reported from the Ukrainian newspaper Kyiv Post the next day, the Pentagon figures corroborate this claim. Korshak gave examples:

Long lag times between a Pentagon declaration that a weapons system is en route to Ukraine and its actual appearance on the battlefield are a matter of record. The powerful M1 Abrams tank, the planned transfer of which was first formally announced in January 2023, was only reported in country by official sources in September, and actually seen on a battlefield for the first time in November.

Hours earlier, Channel 5 of Ukrainian Television was denouncing that the US was delaying the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, a delay that came precisely at the time when thousands of North Korean soldiers were being deployed as reinforcements for the Russian invasion. Everything seems to indicate that an increasingly weakened and senile Biden was allowing himself to be overwhelmed by Russian threats in order to prevent an increase in Western military support for Ukraine.

Many Ukrainians see Trump as “a hope for any real action”

Last night, Sergej Sumlenny, a Russian analyst based in Germany and founder of the European Resilience Initiative Center, an organization supporting the Ukrainian cause, posted a Twitter thread commenting as follows:

A large number of genuine Ukrainian accounts I follow on different social media (and in many cases I personally know people behind them) are looking positively towards Trump's presidency, and see him as a hope for any true action. This shows how much Biden has pissed off Ukraine.

I stress: I don't say if Trump is good or bad. I say: many Ukrainians who risk their life daily, many at the front, are glad that Biden's team leaves the stage. They are well aware of Trump's ambiguity, and of what he & his team said about Ukraine or Putin. Still they are relieved.

Kasparov's message on Trump and Biden

Sumlenny believes that "the best promoter of Trump's presidency" in Ukraine was "Joe Biden himself". Commenting on Sumlenny's Twitter thread, famous chess player Garry Kasparov - born in Russia, naturalized Croatian and a staunch opponent of Putin - commented last night:

I’m not optimistic due to Trump's eternal loyalty to Putin. But Trump stabbing Ukraine in the chest may be in some ways preferable to Biden stabbing them in the back. Biden had every chance for a heroic legacy, defeating Trump then Putin. Now he’ll go down as a loser to both.

As I said yesterday, we will see what happens in relation to this issue. For my part, I am very clear about what my position is and will be: I defend and will continue to defend the cause of Ukraine against the Russian invasion and I will continue to denounce Putin's tyranny, as I have been doing for years, no matter who is against it. This is not a question of being conservative or progressive. It is a question of decency.

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Photo: Associated Press. Zelensky and Trump during their meeting on September 27, 2024 in the United States.