For over a year, U.S. President Trump has insisted in private conversations with advisors that Ukraine is losing this war.
But according to the Wall Street Journal on the 27th, people who have spoken with Trump revealed that in recent weeks, Trump has shown optimism towards Ukraine and its leader Zelenskyy. These people said that Trump was impressed by Zelenskyy’s resilience as the conflict spread deeper into Russia.
These individuals said that Trump's change of attitude occurred after several meetings on the sidelines during global summits. During these meetings, Zelenskyy tried to win Trump's favor, which was also part of the efforts by European leaders to improve relations between the two sides. They noted that Trump now appreciates Ukraine's drone industry, especially its ability to resist drone attacks. The United States also faces similar threats in its war against Iran.
A senior U.S. government official said that Trump favors winners, and in the eyes of this U.S. president, Zelenskyy is increasingly displaying the demeanor of a winner.
On Tuesday this week, Zelenskyy visited Washington again to attend the funeral of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Photos of the talks released by both the United States and Ukraine show that US Vice President Wilson did not attend. However, Wilson appeared at the US-Palestinian leader's meeting held on the same day.
Zelenskyy Meets with Trump; U.S. Delegation Includes Secretary of State Rubio, Treasury Secretary Bettencourt, and Defense Secretary Hagel
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate passed a procedural vote by an overwhelming majority to advance a comprehensive Russian sanctions bill. This bill had been a legislative goal that Senator Graham had been working towards for a long time, and he continued to push for progress in the bill until his unexpected death. The procedural vote was passed with 86 votes in favor and 12 against, paving the way for a final approval vote in the full Senate later this week. The bill will impose sanctions on Russian leaders, the Russian energy industry, and the “shadow fleet.”
This vote took place shortly after Zelensky delivered a speech to senators on Capitol Hill.
American media reports that for Zelensky, this is a remarkable reversal of fate. Previously, his relationship with Trump seemed to be irretrievably damaged.
Last year, Trump referred to Zelensky as a “dictator,” criticized his leadership style, and harshly reprimanded him during a tense meeting in the White House Oval Office. Vance apparently played a role in aggravating the situation during that meeting. A few days after that meeting, Trump suspended all military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, and later showed hesitation about continuing to provide more assistance.
Whether Trump's newfound goodwill towards Zelenskyy will last remains an unresolved question. People close to Trump noted that his views can change rapidly. They also added that Russian President Putin has shown in the past that he can effectively communicate his stance to Trump and some of Trump's senior aides, thereby influencing their opinions.
Trump's views on this war have also been influenced by some non-traditional methods.
Last month, before the UFC cage fight at the White House, Trump met with Ukrainian heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk and was deeply impressed by him.
According to sources who know about this meeting, Usyk told Trump that Ukrainians are “warriors” and “winners”.
Ussic gave Trump a signed boxing glove, and the two shared a connection due to their common love for the late boxer Muhammad Ali. Ussic shares the same birthday as Ali. Ussic spoke in imperfect English about his family's experience of being attacked by artillery in Kyiv.
According to people familiar with the matter, during the talks, Trump asked the boxer what the differences were between Russians and Ukrainians.
Uxik pointed at his head and heart, saying that the difference between the two lies here.
Trump has also recently listened to the views of right-wing activist Laura Loomer.
Loomer had long criticized Ukraine, but she changed her stance after visiting Kiev and interviewing Zelenskyy. Since Loomer's visit to Ukraine, she has had several phone calls with Trump. When explaining why she changed her opinion, she said that she had been misled by Russian propaganda, and praised Zelenskyy as a "war leader" and an "indispensable ally."
