Zelensky has stopped biting his tongue. With Trump’s approval ratings collapsing and Republicans bleeding support, Kyiv has decided to speak directly to the American public over the head of a president who seems increasingly hostile.
A Deliberate Pivot in Tone
Gideon Rachman reports that the Ukrainian president is now far less restrained in his comments about Trump, a deliberate pivot. European capitals are watching this rupture with alarm but also with a growing sense of agency. Officials there believe the time has come to open direct channels to Putin instead of waiting for Washington to dictate terms.
Those channels are already active. A conversation between EU leaders and the Russian dictator is expected soon. When it happens, Europe is prepared to put two concrete peace options on the table.
- Freeze the conflict along the current front line in exchange for a firm guarantee that Ukraine will never join NATO.
- Ukraine cedes the remaining parts of Donbas but receives NATO membership in return.
Both formulas will be denounced by many Ukrainians as betrayal. Yet European sources assess that Zelensky could still sell either deal to a war-weary public desperate for an end to the slaughter. They are far less confident Putin would accept either path. Still, they insist direct talks must begin.
Europe’s Satellite Dependency and a Risky Gamble
At the same time Europe is racing to reduce its humiliating dependence on American satellite infrastructure. Finland’s Nokia and Iceye have just announced a joint project to build sovereign military and civilian satcom networks. First launches are not expected before 2028. That leaves Ukraine dangerously exposed in the short term.
This dependence led many to expect Zelensky to keep flattering Trump and Musk at all costs in hopes of securing Starshield coverage and resumed Patriot shipments. Instead he has chosen the opposite course, mirroring Canadian Prime Minister Carney’s bluntness to the end. One senior European official summed it up: “He went all the way with the Carney approach.”
The era of unconditional deference from Kyiv to the White House is over.
The gamble carries high stakes. But after weeks of Trump’s diesel deals with Putin, public demands for regime change in Kyiv, threats to throttle intelligence sharing, and deliberate throttling of Starlink speeds, Trump left Ukraine with no safer option.
The Kremlin’s Calculus and a New American Audience
The Kremlin is already sensing weakness in Washington and will test every European overture for signs of further concessions. Moscow’s reluctance to engage directly with Europeans may only harden once it sees the actual proposals on the table. Yet Europe now understands it cannot outsource its security policy to an American administration that openly blames the victim for resisting conquest.
Zelensky’s sharper tone is therefore not mere frustration. This calculated appeal targets the American people, who, according to multiple polls, do not share Trump’s strange infatuation with Putin. Some Republican voices are already breaking ranks and questioning the wisdom of shielding a dictator who is bleeding Russian boys and treasure for territorial fantasies.
The coming weeks will reveal whether this risky strategy pays off or whether Trump’s ego and Putin’s influence combine to force even worse terms on Ukraine.