Ukrainians back Zellensky after the disastrous White House meeting

Whether President Volodymyr Zelensky was ambushed or should have been more diplomatic in the Oval office, it was a disastrous visit for Ukraine.

For those who observed in Kyiv, the future of their country hung in balance.

“It was an emotional conversation, but I understand our president,” Yulia tells me next to kyiv’s Santa Sofia Golden Golden Cathedral.

“Maybe he was not a diplomatic, but he was sincere. It’s about life, we want to live.”

Yulia reflects a political pattern in Ukraine: the more the country is attacked, the more unit there are.

Before the large -scale invasion in 2022, President Zelensky’s confidence qualification was 37%. Then, he shot at 90%.

Before Donald Trump returned to office in early 2025, he was 52%. After blaming Ukraine for starting the war, it reached 65%.

“They (Donald Trump and JD Vance) were very rude,” says Andriy, 30. “They do not respect the people of Ukraine.”

“It seems that Washington supports Russia!” Observe Dmytro, 26.

You wonder what they have done the last 24 hours to the popularity of President Zelensky.

“When the situation worsens, we have another meeting around the flag,” explains Volodymyr Paniotto, director of the International Institute of Sociology of kyiv who conducted some of the surveys.

The popularity of world leaders often decreases over time, and Paniotto says that President Zelensky has not been immune.

His qualifications were especially affected with the failed counteroffensive of Ukraine of 2023, and his dismissal a year after the popular commander in chief of his armed forces, Valeiy Zaluzhnyi.

But the new already hostile transactional approach to Donald Trump for Ukraine has forced the country to join and prepare for greater uncertainty.

No less important with his warm -up to Russia.

The initial reaction was shock, “says the opposition deputy Inna Sovsun.

“It was difficult to see a president who was the victim of Russian aggression attacked by the leader of the free world,” he adds. “It’s painful.”

Ukrainian television channels reported yesterday’s scenes in a more measured way: than a mineral agreement between Ukraine and the United States simply was not signed.

Perhaps, since it did not include the American security guarantees that kyiv and Europe desperately want, it was not as tempting for Zelensky as he had suggested.

“We need to find stronger allies in Europe and Canada, Australia and Japan, who have been supporting us,” says Sovsun.

There are clearly deep feelings of resentment between Washington and Kyiv. However, Sovsun does not believe that Ukraine renounces negotiations, but should rethink the debate.

“It is important to find the right mediator,” she says. “Someone who Trump can recognize, but someone we also trust. Someone like Georgia Meloni of Italy.

“Under no circumstances should we accept that the president renounces, and I say that as an opposition deputy. That challenges the very idea of ​​democracy.”

President Zelensky hoped that his visit to Washington would lead to deeper cooperation with the United States that, in turn, could bring lasting peace. Something that Sovsun believes that nobody wants more than the Ukrainians.

“We are the ones who suffer, it is extremely difficult to live under this stress,” he adds. “This morning, I read that my friend’s son was killed, his second son in this war.”

What the deputy and the innumerable Ukrainians do not want is a hurried settlement. The termination of cessation of Russia in 2014 and 2015 only allowed Moscow to prepare for its invasion of full scale years later.

“We knew it would be difficult, but this is not difficult.”

Ukrainian deputy Ivanna Klympush-Tesyntsadze anticipated that a second presidency of Trump was less sympathizing with the cause of her country, but not with this measure.

“This mineral agreement does not force the United States to help us militarily, or exclude or continue the support it is currently providing,” she says.

While there is still a parliamentary unit behind President Zelensky and suspended elections, parliamentarians such as Klympush-Tesyntsadze have been asking for greater participation in negotiations.

The president of his European Solidarity Party is former President Petro Poroshenko, a fierce rival of Zelensky.

He was even sanctioned recently by the leader of Ukraine on what the Ukraine security service described as “threats to national security” and “creating obstacles to economic development.” Poroshenko said he was “politically motivated.”

Despite this, the former president said he recognized the legitimacy of Zelensky as a leader, to combat US and Russian statements otherwise.

As the sirens cry and missiles crash against cities, this is a war that is still furious, despite the entire talk of finishing it.

Russia is not supporting its demands of the political capitulation of Ukraine and the complete control of four regions.

“This war is not for some area, people or tree of trees in the east,” says Taras Chmut, head of the Return Alive Foundation.

After Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, the organization was created for the CrowdSource military team to fight Ukrainian troops.

“This is the war that will define world order for future decades. If this world will still exist depends on how this war goes,” he says.

While its “America first” policy is still mercilessly, Trump wants Europe to provide security to a continent where he is less willing to do so. But Europe divides in this, and where there is agreement is that peace is not possible without the United States as a security network.

“Europe and the world once again want to close their eyes and believe in a miracle, but miracles do not happen,” says Chmut.

“Countries must accept the reality of the situation and do something about it. Otherwise, you will be the one that disappears next, after Ukraine.”

Additional reports by Hanna Chornous and Svitlana Libet.