By Anna Dabrowska and Max Hunder
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainians on the streets of Kyiv rallied round President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday after his offended change with U.S. President Donald Trump on the White Home.
Zelenskiy brazenly challenged Trump over his strategy towards Russian President Vladimir Putin on the assembly, urging him to “make no compromises with a killer.”
Trump accused Zelenskiy of risking World Struggle Three and of being ungrateful to Washington for the army assist offered to Ukraine.
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“Trump lastly understood that Zelenskiy is a president that won’t simply hand over,” mentioned Mila, an HR supervisor who didn’t give a second title, talking on a cold evening in central Kyiv.
“It isn’t Ukraine that’s playing with World Struggle Three – extra probably we’re getting used on this sport as a bargaining chip,” mentioned Oksana, a enterprise marketing consultant.
On social media, Ukrainian officers and different outstanding people have been additionally supportive of Zelenskiy, calling for unity in a rustic exhausted by three years of gruelling battle.
“President Zelenskiy has the bravery and energy to face up for what is true,” Ukraine’s International Minister Andrii Sybiha, who was on the assembly with Trump, wrote on social media.
Whereas most Kyivans Reuters spoke to mentioned Ukraine would be capable to preserve going no matter lay forward, some have been involved by the breakdown in relations between the 2 leaders.
“With out the arms provided by the US we is not going to win this conflict and I have no idea what is going on to occur,” mentioned Andriy, a 59-year-old college lecturer.
The assembly in Washington was supposed to easy uneven private relations between Trump and Zelenskiy, with the 2 males on account of signal an settlement that might have shared income from Ukraine’s important uncooked materials deposits with the U.S.
As an alternative, it rapidly changed into a vicious spat in entrance of the cameras as Trump visibly irritated Zelenskiy by refusing to sentence Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years in the past and occupied components of it since 2014.
“The settlement and the participation of the U.S. within the mineral deal would have stabilised relations. Now it is extremely scary,” mentioned Petro, a 20-year-old pupil.
“I believe it might have been approached in a extra diplomatic manner, however from the person standpoint I can perceive Zelenskiy as a result of the tone of the dialogue with Trump and Vance indicated it might finish like this.”
(Reporting by Anna Dabrowska, writing by Max Hunder, Modifying by Rosalba O’Brien)
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