NYT: Is this the breaking point for Trump and Zelensky?

Where the two men’ war of words will end is anybody’s guess. But if it continues, it could threaten the crucial operational help that Ukraine still gets from the United States. This time, the rupture feels real, The New York Times notes.

President Trump has long made no secret of his disdain for Zelensky of Ukraine and his affinity with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. But Mr. Zelensky has always managed to hold on to some form of American support against Russia, going along with fruitless U.S.-led peace talks and heaping thanks and flattery on Mr. Trump for his “strong leadership.”

Now, in the run-up to midterm elections seen as a referendum on Mr. Trump’s presidency, their relationship seems close to a breaking point. The split poses risks to the Trump administration but more critically to Ukraine, whose military still gets crucial operational help from the United States.

For Kyiv, the blows came one after the next in just one very bad week.

Mr. Trump temporarily lifted U.S. sanctions on Russian diesel sales in what is likely to be a failed attempt to lower those prices. He unilaterally declared an “ENERGY CEASEFIRE” in the war that only helped Russia and hurt Ukraine. And he called for a new Ukrainian president.

By midweek, the Ukrainian military was reporting sudden unexplained restrictions on its use of Starshield, a military version of the satellite internet system Starlink that is crucial to Ukraine’s battlefield communications. Elon Musk, the on-again, off-again good friend of Mr. Trump and the chief executive of SpaceX, which operates Starlink, suggested that only the U.S. military and ultimately Mr. Trump could limit Starshield’s usage. Mr. Musk then also called for a new Ukrainian president.

After initially holding back, a visibly angry Mr. Zelensky said he felt betrayed as Mr. Trump openly sided with a Russian leader. Defying Mr. Trump’s cease-fire declaration, Mr. Zelensky said Ukraine would restart its attacks on Russian oil refineries. Asked by the journalist Piers Morgan to clarify whether he believed Ukraine was “losing” the United States, Mr. Zelensky replied simply: “Yes.”

Mr. Trump then told Newsmax that “Zelensky is not a good guy for us to deal with.”

Where the war of words will end is anybody’s guess. But if it continues, it will help Russia and hurt the Trump administration, Ukraine and Kyiv’s European allies, according to analysts.

The worst case for Ukraine would be if Mr. Trump and his Defense Department were to suspend aid to the Ukrainian military. Kyiv is hoping that such a step would be too politically damaging for Mr. Trump, as he faces criticism from some in his own party over his treatment of Ukraine.

The next couple of weeks could give a sign of what might happen next in the Trump-Zelensky relationship, analysts said.

“We have to see what’s going to happen up to the midterms,” said Harry Nedelcu, a senior director at Rasmussen Global, a European political advisory firm. “We have to see how Trump will play this out. On one hand, he wants to show he’s bringing gas prices down. On the other, he’s facing criticism from his own ranks. Geopolitically, however, of course it’s a stab in the back.”

read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs