Ukraine-US talks falter as Yushchenko decries humiliation
"US supported Ukrainians for 20 years, so it is sad to see humiliation during war," commented former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko about Friday's meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky.
"For the last 20 years, the United States has been a support for Ukrainians who have been fighting for democracy! Freedom of speech, fair elections, market economy, gender equality and strong civil society – all of these were the demands of Ukrainians for a free and dignified life in their own independent country. We nurtured these values together with our partners – and the United States played a leading role in this. When, instead of support and cooperation, we saw unprecedented devaluation, it was a blow to trust that required efforts to restore the balance in the relationship" - Yushchenko wrote on Facebook on Monday.
Yushchenko noted that today Ukraine urgently needs leadership and unity. "Not discussions about diplomatic protocol or suits, but political wisdom to find formulas for security guarantees, conditions for a just peace and the preservation of the independence of our state" - he emphasised.
According to the former president, Volodymyr Zelensky is a democratic leader who is doing an outstanding job of uniting Ukraine's international partners around the goals of peace and halting the aggressor. "From the first day of the Russian invasion, Ukraine has sought peace – and it will come when the Russian army leaves our territories" - he noted.
"Forcing peace is a well-known Russian tactic that the Russians utilised in Georgia in 2008. The consequences of this are well-known and instructive. Russian propaganda today destabilises the entire world. When words from the Kremlin say there is a dictatorship in Ukraine – this is political schizophrenia" - declared Yushchenko.
According to the former Ukrainian leader, the response to these challenges should be a robust coalition of international partners who support Ukraine's victory. "Together, we can undermine the aggressor's plans and make them pay for everything" - he emphasised.
"This path was never easy, but no manipulations, psychological pressure, and humiliating devaluation of the Ukrainian people should divert our attention from the most important matter: we know who started the war" - Yushchenko stated.
The former president is convinced that the outcome of Ukrainian victory will determine what the world will be like in the 21st century. "We must do everything to ensure that peace is just, and that force does not become a tool for dividing the world into so-called spheres of influence, where dozens of countries will not have a voice" - summarised Yushchenko.
Talks failure
On Friday, Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington to sign a partnership agreement on resource extraction in Ukraine, which did not happen.
When Zelensky mentioned that America does not feel what Ukraine feels, but perhaps someday it will, Trump replied: - You don’t know that. You don’t know that. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.
Vice President Vance also intervened in the dispute, advising Zelensky to thank Trump. Trump added that Zelensky does not show him respect. - You’re playing cards. You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III- Trump said to the President of Ukraine.
