If we take separately, in isolation, the speech of US President Donald Trump, where he gives harsh assessments to Ukrainian President Zelensky, then, in my opinion, no head of state should speak in such words about another leader – this contradicts the ethical norms of interstate relations. In addition, some of the data provided at least raises doubts.
In particular, Zelensky’s approval rating, according to Trump, is 4 percent, but according to the latest poll known to us, conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology, the Ukrainian president’s approval rating was 52 percent in December last year, and 57 percent in February this year. It is not excluded that these percentages are inflated, but the US president does not cite any source for his stated 4 percent.
According to Trump, during the three years of the war, US aid to Ukraine amounted to $ 360 billion. Meanwhile, the special representative of the same US president for Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg has voiced a different number: 174 billion. Of course, it cannot be said that this is a small amount. For comparison, I note that this year’s budget expenditures in Armenia amount to about 8.71 billion dollars.
But in addition to purely factual (perhaps often incorrect) statements, one should pay attention to the overall political context – the messages that were first sent by Vance in Munich, and then by Trump. And the main message is that the current US administration does not intend to spend taxpayers’ money on projects that, in its opinion, are not related to the national interests of the country.
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We, citizens of other states, can have our own opinion on what is related and what is not. But the priorities are formulated by the Trump team. Ukraine’s resistance to Russian aggression is not among those priorities. “We have a big, beautiful Ocean as separation” – says Trump. But if European countries need to support Ukraine, then he sees no problem here – let them also bear the corresponding expenses.
Europe, I am sure, will do everything in their power to ensure that Ukraine continues to resist Putin’s attack. For how long, until when and how this problem will be resolved, we will see in the coming months.
Aram Abrahamyan
