"Trump respects those who push back": International relations expert on White House standoff

Volodymyr Dubovyk, director of the Center for International Studies and associate professor of the Department of International Relations at Mechnikov Odesa National University, shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

If restoring relations with the current U.S. administration requires Volodymyr Zelenskyy to formally apologize, it creates a problem. Not only from the perspective of morality, pride, or the honor of Ukraine’s president, but also in terms of the overall position of the country, the expert believes.

"Recently, Zelenskyy has shown himself as a leader capable of withstanding pressure and defending Ukraine’s interests. For example, he secured changes in the mineral agreement in Ukraine’s favor and tried to clearly explain the Ukrainian position at the White House. However, if he now chooses to apologize for his behavior during the conversation with Trump, it will immediately weaken his position before the U.S. president. Donald Trump respects those who can push back. Kyiv certainly needs to work on restoring relations with the U.S. administration, but it is crucial to choose the right strategy," he noted.

Ukraine may propose its own peace plan, which is beneficial for the country. However, it is unlikely to impress Trump, as his worldview differs from the traditional approach to international security. For Trump, European security is not a priority.

"Kyiv can present its plan to the U.S. in the format of economically beneficial agreements. However, I do not have high hopes that this will work with Trump. In principle, what happened with the mineral agreement could happen with all agreements. We accommodated Trump, did him a big favor — he really wanted to sign that deal. Even though we did not need it at all, we agreed. But what happened? An ambush, a trap that ensnared Zelenskyy. He did not expect it. They planned to humiliate him publicly. That’s why they did not let the press leave the room. So this approach does not work," Dubovyk remarked.

In the U.S., some want to "punish" Zelenskyy for being uncompromising, for constantly talking about Ukraine’s interests and security guarantees.

"Trump says: 'Let’s agree on a ceasefire, why are you always talking about security guarantees? Security guarantees are just 2% of this plan. But you keep insisting on them.' So here, our interests simply diverge," he added.

Dubovyk believes that the dialogue is not over. This is merely a game, a maneuver by the U.S. to put Zelenskyy in an uncomfortable position and show that his stance is weak.

"As Trump says, there are no trump cards to play. But we need to show that there are trump cards. Therefore, the dialogue will continue. Will it be successful? Perhaps not, because the Americans have a different vision of a long-term peace agreement than we do," the international expert concluded.

Background

On February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington on a working visit. During a press conference, a dispute arose between Trump, Zelenskyy, and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.

Later, it became known that the joint press conference between Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump was canceled following the argument.

After the White House altercation, European leaders and U.S. politicians began expressing support for Zelenskyy and Ukraine.

The press secretary for U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration, Karoline Leavitt, announced the U.S. government's intention to halt military financial aid to Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Polish President Andrzej Duda called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to restore his relations with Donald Trump.

Zelenskyy later gave an interview to an American television channel, during which he commented on the situation with Trump.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should apologize for the conversation with Trump and J.D. Vance escalating into a dispute.