Trump suffers humiliating Ukraine backlash as Russia crows ‘US doing our job for us’ | World | News
A recent poll suggests an overwhelming majority of Donald Trump supporters back Ukraine and disapprove of Vladimir Putin, in a humiliating blow to the US President. Trump and his Vice President JD Vance launched a blistering attack on Ukraine‘s leader Volodymyr Zelensky in front of the world’s media at the White House on Friday.
The meeting in the Oval Office descended into bitter acrimony, as Zelensky was criticised by the pair after he insisted that a peace deal had to be backed by concrete US security guarantees. The Ukrainian President was subsequently asked to leave the White House, with the minerals deal, that he came to finalise with Trump, left unsigned. Later, Trump wrote on social media that Zelensky “disrespected the United States” and could come back to the White House when he was ready for peace.
Since his return to the White House, Trump appears to have pivoted Washington’s position more towards Russia, seemingly echoing a number of Kremlin propaganda lines.
He has accused Zelensky of being a dictator for not holding elections in his country as the Russian invasion continues and appeared to suggest that Ukraine was responsible for starting the war.
However, a new poll by Razom for the Wall Street Journal suggests that the White House’s views on Ukraine are out of step not just with the country as a whole but also with Republican voters.
A whopping 70% of Republican respondents agreed with the statement that Putin launched an unprovoked war to subjugate Ukraine. Only 15% said NATO expansion and Ukrainian belligerence were to blame for the conflict.
The US president has often spoken of his admiration for the Russian President, calling his decision to invade Ukraine in 2014 as “genius” and “savvy” in a radio interview with “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show”, shortly before the 2022 attack.
The US President also told the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during their meeting last week that he trusted Putin “to keep his word” in any potential peace deal.
Trump’s positive views of Putin are, however, not shared by a vast majority of his Republican supporters. Some 83% told the Razom poll that they had an unfavourable view of Putin.
The Kremlin and its supporters could hardly contain their glee, after the White House debacle. Alexander Voskoboinikov, a Russian political scientist, said Trump had lured Zelensky to the White House.
“What happened there was a pre-planned operation that was meant to show the whole world that Americans are getting out of this situation,” he claimed to Solovyov Live. “At least, this is what they are demonstrating.”
Others have praised Trump’s pivot towards Russia as “revolutionary” and helping Moscow to achieve all its aims in Ukraine.
Vitaly Tretyakov, a dean at Moscow’s State University, said on the show ’60 Minutes’: “I really like what he is doing right now… I like his revolutionary approach… He did our job for us that we did not dare to do.”
He added: “He is pursuing policies that are beneficial for Russia. “With respect to Ukraine, he is ready to give Russia everything it wants to take.”
The US leadership did not plan any “ambush” when inviting President Zelenskyy to Washington, US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz said on the weekend.
