After more than two months of caustic words for Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and approbation for Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to strike a different note in his approach towards bringing the two leaders to the negotiating table. Following a call with Mr. Putin, Mr. Trump said that he was “very angry” with the former when, following weeks of attempted negotiations, Mr. Putin reportedly attacked Mr. Zelenskyy’s credibility instead of discussing steps towards finding peace. Further, Mr. Trump, apparently irate that his campaign promise to end the conflict was losing steam and in danger of remaining unfulfilled, threatened to slap nations purchasing Russian oil with a 50% tariff, unless Mr. Putin agreed to a ceasefire in the near term. The choke point was Mr. Putin’s insistence that Mr. Zelenskyy lacks the legitimate authority to sign a robust peace deal that would not be challenged by any nation; and that in this context the introduction of “temporary governance in Ukraine,” was required, perhaps achieved through “democratic elections, to bring to power a viable government that enjoys the trust of the people…”
In terms of his popularity back home, Mr. Zelenskyy had earlier corrected a broadside from Mr. Trump, a false claim that he only had an approval rating of 4%, when in fact Kiev had noted that 65% of Ukrainians trusted their President and his approval rating hovered around 57% in early 2025. Mr. Putin’s claims in this regard, which range from the unfounded statements about Mr. Zelenskyy lacking popular legitimacy to accusing him, a leader of Jewish descent, of enabling Nazi forces in Ukraine, can be understood in the backdrop of Moscow’s reluctance to enter into a peace treaty at a time when its troops have continued to keep up the military pressure on Ukrainian forces and have made substantial territorial gains there. The greater concern for Europe, and perhaps the U.S., might be that Mr. Putin could seek to undermine via influence operations any plan for free and fair elections in Ukraine and thus succeed in getting a pro-Russian candidate installed in Kiev. In turn, Mr. Trump, even if he is not particularly concerned with European security in a post-conflict scenario in Ukraine that might favour Russian interests, may worry that a lucrative U.S.-Ukraine mineral extraction deal might be in jeopardy if Mr. Putin is de facto calling the shots across the region. Regardless of the bluster on all sides, an early ceasefire would have the greatest impact on prospects for lasting peace after more than three years of bloodshed and dislocation.
Published – April 03, 2025 12:10 am IST
