CNN
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World leaders have rushed to get on Donald Trump’s good side since his re-election as president of the United States, arguably none more so than Ukraine.
In his annual New Year’s address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had “no doubt about the will and ability of the new American president to achieve peace and end Putin’s aggression.” , in comments that embody his approach to convincing Trump.
Days later, Zelensky told a US podcaster that Trump won because he was a “much stronger” candidate than Kamala Harris, adding: “He showed he could do it intellectually and physically.”
Zelensky is not alone among prominent Ukrainians in trying to support Trump. In November, a Ukrainian MP from Zelensky’s party even nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to a letter seen by the kyiv Independent.
Such tactics have long been favored by foreign powers. Think about how China took Trump to the Forbidden City or the British government enlisting the royal family during its last term in the White House.
Nor is this an entirely new approach on Ukraine’s part. In what a 2019 CNN opinion piece called a “textbook botch,” Zelensky could be heard hailing Trump as a “great teacher” during the notorious call in which then-President first term, urged Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. .
Years later, the stakes couldn’t be higher for Ukraine. kyiv enters 2025 on the back foot in its war against Russia, with Ukrainian forces struggling to curb Russian advances in the east, where they are vastly outnumbered. Its chances of soon retaking occupied Russian territory seem increasingly slim.
Under outgoing President Biden, the United States has become the largest provider of military assistance to Ukraine and kyiv remains keenly aware of the need to stand by Trump for future support.
“Unfortunately, Zelensky does not have the luxury of being hostile to Trump,” Joanna Hosa, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told CNN.
“He must at least try to put him on Ukraine’s side to ensure the best possible outcome for Ukraine, which is extremely dependent on American support.”
Trump has repeatedly stressed the need to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, suggesting negotiations could be on the horizon. His envoy’s plan to end the war contains many elements that will please the Kremlin.
Zelensky has said he wants to “work directly” with the new president and appears more willing to — or perhaps has no choice but to — make concessions on the battlefield.
“Of course Ukraine would like to get back all the land it lost. However, after three years of this exhausting war, the reconquest of all the lands is not in sight. With a heavy heart, Ukrainians are gradually beginning to accept this,” Hosa said.
Zelensky has often described Trump as strong, an apparent effort to please a president-elect who has made “peace through strength” a rallying call.
“Trump could be crucial. I think that’s the most important thing for us. His qualities are like that. It can be decisive in this war. He can stop Putin,” Zelensky told United News, Ukraine’s wartime television channel, earlier this month.
Orysia Lutsevych, deputy director of the Russia and Eurasia program at London think tank Chatham House, believes Zelensky’s praise can largely be seen as sincere. She told CNN: “I think he sincerely believes that Trump can take bold action, and that’s where that hope comes from, and not just in Zelensky’s mind but in Ukraine more broadly.” »
Another factor is that unlike previous U.S. administrations, Trump fundamentally believes he can maintain a good relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. He has long expressed admiration for Putin while other world leaders have shunned him and pledged to meet with him “very quickly” after he takes office.
For his part, Putin – who was called a “butcher” by Biden – appears open to building ties with Trump. After Trump’s election victory, Putin offered his congratulations, calling him a “brave man.” During his end-of-year press conference in December, he said he was ready to meet him.
Even if Russia is brought to the negotiating table, there is reason to believe that its word cannot be trusted. As Nick Paton Walsh, CNN’s chief international security correspondent, points out, Moscow’s previous peace promises in Ukraine have been characterized by deception, suggesting that any potential ceasefire may be nothing more than name.
Lutsevych believes that the Ukrainian government is trying to present kyiv’s defeat at the hands of Moscow as something that would strengthen American “power projection” on the world stage.
“It’s the game; Whether Trump will believe this is a viable strategy is another question,” she said.
And Zelensky offered other benefits. In October last year, he floated the idea of replacing some US forces based in Europe with Ukrainian troops once Russia’s war in Ukraine ends. He argued that the wartime experience of kyiv’s forces could be put to good use, strengthening NATO – the military alliance that Ukraine has been assured it would join – and helping to ensure security in Europe, which is likely to please an American leader. who asked Europe to do more in terms of defense.
Zelensky also appealed to Trump’s business mind. His so-called “Victory Plan,” unveiled in October last year, includes a major deal with the United States on minerals – a key resource that Ukraine is rich in.
According to a New York Times report, the signing of the minerals deal was delayed twice, in a possible bid to allow Trump to take credit for it when he took office.
Lutsevych argued that kyiv would make a lucrative offer to the United States, in economic terms. “We saw that in this ‘Victory Plan,’ it includes essential minerals, investments…(Ukraine) is basically trying to say that this can be profitable for America.”
But while pandering to Trump is a common tactic, his unpredictability means there are few guarantees it will work.
Trump’s reception by then-British monarch Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 did not stop him from firing off a series of angry tweets moments before stepping off his plane, describing the mayor of London , Sadiq Khan, as a “cold loser”. He then called then-British Prime Minister Theresa May “stupid.”
Hosa believes there is evidence that Zelensky’s approach is working, with Trump acknowledging that it would take more than 24 hours to end the conflict – a claim he made in July 2024 – a sign of his shift in focus. ‘attitude.
“He (Zelensky) was faced with a choice: flatter Trump or be forced to capitulate to Putin,” Hosa said.
“Flattery is a small price to pay for a better result than that.”