成人X站

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� Ukraine鈥檚 president has few options after last week鈥檚 astonishing Oval Office row with U.S. President Donald Trump, who berated the wartime leader. Now Ukraine’s future could depend on whether Volodymyr Zelenskyy can repair his relationship with the White House.

The heated conversation that played out live on television looms over all American support for Ukraine and could shape the country’s war against the Russian invasion. The scene will almost certainly stick with Zelenskyy for the rest of his presidency, if not his life.

American officials have said that they want an apology from Zelenskyy, who has maintained his cool in public appearances since the episode and leaned into European support while also rebuffing calls from U.S. officials to resign. He has even expressed optimism about continued U.S. support.

As European partners rally around Zelenskyy, Western officials in Kyiv acknowledge that the durability of any peace plan will depend on U.S. military backing.

Zelenskyy has said he is still ready to sign a lucrative minerals deal with Trump that could be the first step toward a ceasefire. Since Friday’s confrontation, there has been communication between Ukraine and the administration but not between the two presidents.

Meanwhile, Trump is scheduled to address Congress on Tuesday with a speech that will offer him an opportunity to outline his vision for ending the war.

鈥淚鈥檓 sure that this situation will pass, and there are more important things ahead. And if we all continue to be constructive, then, I think, we will have a positive result,鈥� Zelenskyy told reporters Sunday after a meeting of European leaders in London. 鈥淧ositive 鈥� if my understanding here is correct 鈥� positive is when we are bringing peace for Ukraine closer, all of us.鈥�

Signing the deal with the Trump administration for a portion of Ukraine鈥檚 natural resources would have paved the way for more agreements on the future of American military aid and the terms of an armistice with Russia. Now all of that is uncertain.

Saving the U.S.-Ukraine relationship

Oleksandr Kraiev, an analyst at the Kyiv-based Ukrainian Prism foreign policy think tank, said the first step to salvaging U.S-Ukraine relations is 鈥渢o re-establish personal contacts with Trump鈥檚 people and with Trump himself,鈥� even though 鈥漣t will be hard psychologically.”

鈥淵es, the situation is quite dire. We see a lot of bad prognosis,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not an apocalyptic scenario for us. The relations can be reestablished, not because Ukrainian diplomacy is far superior or because Zelenskyy is a great communicator, but because there is still an economic interest for Trump here in Ukraine.鈥�

鈥淎s for saving the relationship,鈥� Zelenskyy told reporters over the weekend: 鈥淚 think our relationship (with the U.S.) will continue because it鈥檚 more than a relationship of one moment or another. We have to be open.鈥�

Ukraine is 鈥渞eady to continue the dialogue,” he said. 鈥淲e want to count on new aid.鈥�

U.S. officials have called for Zelenskyy to express gratitude for U.S. support, something the Ukrainian president has regularly done since the full-scale invasion began early in 2022.

鈥淎merica is a democracy. The president is not the only power. Congress matters. Voters matter. Mass media and public opinion. We should work with them,鈥� Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko said.

Leaning into Europe

Europe has stepped into the gap left by the deepening Ukraine-U.S. rift. But a ceasefire plan crafted by European powers will still require U.S. support to be effective.

鈥淎ll is not lost. There is a chance that a deal could still be done, but it鈥檚 much less likely than it was,鈥� said Ben Barry, a military expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

A French-British plan to deploy European contingents in Ukraine 鈥渟hould include the presence of the United States of America in one way or another鈥� Zelenskyy said, adding that the U.S. could contribute air, ground or intelligence support.

Boosting support to Ukraine in the event that the U.S. withdraws aid would come at a great cost to the continent, Barry said.

Europe could provide arms and ammunition directly to Ukraine and could put the European defense and industry on a war footing, he said. 鈥淭hat would cost Europe a lot of money. Whether it鈥檚 got the political resolution to do that, we would see.鈥�

Calls for Zelenskyy to resign

Zelenskyy has rebuffed resignation calls from some U.S. officials, saying only the Ukrainian people can decide who leads them.

Amid the criticism, there are no signs in Ukraine of public discussion about Zelenskyy stepping down.

鈥淚f Zelensky had behaved differently or if there had been an interpreter, of course, it would have been a slightly different story,鈥� said Oleksandr Khara, director of the Center for Defense Strategies.

But David Novak, a 23-year-old Ukrainian cook, said what most Ukrainians were thinking. He said he was 鈥渟hocked鈥� by the Oval Office exchange and said he understood that Zelenskyy “is doing his best, and that he is holding on.鈥�

In Ukraine, the White House blowup sparked yet another surge of unity, as many in the country interpreted the remarks from Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance as a personal affront while Zelenskyy expressed an opinion widely shared among Ukrainians 鈥� that Russia cannot be trusted to keep ceasefire promises.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a selection of photos on Instagram of Ukrainians wearing military fatigues, blood-soaked medical scrubs and firefighting gear 鈥� all symbols of the war 鈥� with the slogan 鈥淯krainians have their suits.鈥� The campaign is in response to a question posed to Zelenskyy in the Oval Office about why he was not wearing a suit.

In response to U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham鈥檚 call that he resign, Zelenskyy told reporters: 鈥淚 can give (Lindsay Graham) citizenship in Ukraine and he will become a citizen of our country. And then his voice will start to gain weight, and I will hear him as a citizen of Ukraine on the topic of who must be the president.鈥�