A Washington Post report says that the Zelensky government is 'ready' for another Trump presidency. Some Kiev officials are going so far as to say it would be good, despite recent angry words with the Trump/Vance campaign.
"Ahead of a U.S. presidential election that is expected to have major implications for Ukraine — especially in terms of the vital U.S. security assistance — a number of Ukrainian officials are suggesting that maybe a drastic change would be good," it said.
The Friday report described further, "But behind closed doors, some in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government see an upside in a Donald Trump victory, despite the Republican nominee’s repeated criticism of U.S. spending to support Ukraine and advocating a quick end to the war that could be to Russia’s advantage."
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| Via Reuters |
Tensions within the last months between Zelensky's office and the Trump campaign have been on edge over Trump's promises that he would immediately seek to negotiate an end to the war, even if that means Kiev making serious compromises. He had also called Zelensky "one of the greatest salesmen I’ve ever seen."
Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, has especially come under fire by Zelensky, which became a big headline issue during the Ukrainian leader's September trip to the US and battleground state of Pennsylvania. Vance has been a rare Washington politician to heap criticisms on Kiev for its persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for its staying in communion with the Moscow Patriarchate.
WaPo explains the thinking of some as follows:
Vice President Kamala Harris would probably maintain the status quo if elected, and while Ukrainians have expressed gratitude for U.S. military support, they have also complained that this White House is too cautious and too slow in its decisions to avoid escalation with Russia. With Russia advancing on the battlefield for the past year and occupying more Ukrainian land, officials in Kyiv are increasingly lamenting that the status quo isn’t working and their requests for stronger weapons and looser restrictions on their use have been rebuffed.
Thus the speculation is that Trump could be convinced to make quicker decisions relating to the battlefield, also if it meant creating faster leverage for a future negotiating scenario with Russia.
But the new WaPo piece also seems a bit of PR signaling to the Trump administration. Zelensky appears to be prepping relations in the scenario of a Trump victory:
Ukrainian officials reject the notion that a Trump victory would be disastrous for Kyiv and that they are dreading the possibility. Within Zelensky’s office, there’s an optimism that the Ukrainian leader could sway Trump if the two forged a personal bond.
“Naturally, [Zelensky’s administration] relates more to Trump,” said a Ukrainian official who served in Zelensky’s government during Trump’s presidency. Like others in this article, the person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.
Another Kiev-based official told the outlet: "You have the Biden-Harris administration, and people can predict their actions. But there’s also a certain feeling of frustration." He continued: "You have strong words, but people are upset that they aren’t followed by strong actions."
But it remains that what Zelensky and his top aides fear most is that Trump would quickly begin following through on his campaign promises of immediately ending the Russia-Ukraine war, also by possibly engaging Moscow diplomatically, and circumventing Kiev in the process.