Ukrainians Rally Around Zelenskyy After Trump Berates Him In Oval Office | rssama.com

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Soon aft Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy near nan White House connected Friday aft an astonishing Oval Office blowout pinch President Donald Trump, Ukrainians rallied astir Zelenskyy arsenic a defender of his country’s interests.

The shouting lucifer that unfolded successful nan last minutes of nan highly anticipated gathering betwixt nan 2 leaders seemed to dash, astatine slightest for now, Ukrainian hopes that nan United States could beryllium locked successful arsenic a reliable partner successful helping fend off, and conclude, Russia’s three-year onslaught.

The exchange, which saw a disappointment Zelenskyy lectured by Trump and Vice President JD Vance complete what they saw arsenic his deficiency of gratitude for erstwhile U.S. support, delighted officials successful Moscow, who saw it arsenic a last breakdown successful relations betwixt Washington and nan Ukrainian leader.

Many Ukrainians unfazed by nan row

But galore Ukrainians connected Friday seemed unfazed by nan blowout betwixt Zelenskyy and Trump, expressing a consciousness that nan Ukrainian leader had stood up for their country’s dignity and interests by firmly maintaining his stance successful nan look of chiding from immoderate of nan world’s astir powerful men.

Nataliia Serhiienko, 67, a retiree successful Kyiv, said she thinks Ukrainians o.k. of their president’s capacity successful Washington, “because Zelenskyy fought for illustration a lion.”

“They had a heated meeting, a very heated conversation,” she said. But Zelenskyy “was defending Ukraine’s interests.”

The gathering astatine nan White House was meant to nutrient a bilateral statement that would found a associated finance money for reconstructing Ukraine, a woody that was seen arsenic a imaginable measurement toward bringing an extremity to nan warfare and tying nan 2 countries’ economies together for years to come.

But arsenic Zelenskyy and his squad departed nan White House astatine Trump’s request, nan woody went unsigned, and Ukraine’s hopes for securing U.S. information backing seemed farther distant than ever.

Yet arsenic nan Ukrainian leader was group to return to Kyiv quiet handed, his support astatine location seemed undiminished.

Regional Ukrainian leader says president ‘held strong’

As 2 drones struck Ukraine’s second-largest metropolis Kharkiv connected Friday night, nan caput of nan region which sits connected nan separator pinch Russia, Oleh Syniehubov, praised Zelenskyy. He said nan president held beardown to his insistence that nary bid woody could beryllium made without assurances for Ukraine’s information against early Russian aggression.

“Our leader, contempt nan pressure, stands patient successful defending nan interests of Ukraine and Ukrainians. … We request only a conscionable bid pinch information guarantees,” Syniehubov said.

Kyiv resident Artem Vasyliev, 37, said he had seen “complete disrespect” from nan United States successful nan Oval Office exchange, contempt nan truth that Ukraine “was nan first state that stood up to Russia.”

“We are striving for democracy, and we are met pinch full disrespect, toward our warriors, our soldiers, and nan group of our country,” said Vasyliev, a autochthonal of Russian-occupied Luhansk successful eastbound Ukraine.

Vasyliev criticized nan U.S. president for what he said was a nonaccomplishment to admit nan quality costs of Russia’s invasion, saying Trump “doesn’t understand that group are dying, that cities are being destroyed, group are suffering, mothers, children, soldiers.”

“He cannot understand this, he is conscionable a businessman. For him, money is sacred,” he said.

Broad praise for Zelenskyy connected societal media

Ukrainian societal media was awash successful praise for Zelenskyy precocious Friday, pinch officials connected nan national, location and section level chiming successful to sound their support for their leader.

The outpouring resembled a caller surge successful Ukrainian unity aft Trump denigrated Zelenskyy by making false claims that Ukraine was led by a “dictator” who started nan warfare pinch Russia — comments that led immoderate of nan Ukrainian president’s harshest critics to rally astir him.

Oleksandr Prokudin, caput of Ukraine’s confederate Kherson region, which was mostly occupied by Russia early successful nan warfare but later partially retaken by Ukrainian forces, said 3 years of warfare had hardened his countrymen to nan ups and downs of nan conflict to survive.

“We cognize what unit is, connected nan beforehand lines, successful politics, successful regular struggle,” Prokudin said. “It has made america stronger. It has made nan president stronger. Determination is nan unit that drives america forward. And I americium assured that we will strengthen this clip arsenic well.”

Trump’s management formed nan heated speech pinch Zelenskyy arsenic portion of its “America First” argumentation and slammed nan Ukrainian leader for a perceived deficiency of gratitude for U.S. assistance.

But Zelenskyy’s backers successful Ukraine praised his committedness to acting successful Ukraine’s nationalist liking — moreover if it meant coming into conflict pinch nan president of nan United States.

“Unwavering committedness to Ukraine’s interests and devotion to his country. This is what we saw coming successful nan United States. Support for nan President of Ukraine,” Vice Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba wrote connected Telegram Friday.

Not each of Ukraine’s governmental figures, however, were arsenic full-throated successful their praise for really nan Oval Office gathering concluded. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that he hoped “that Ukraine does not suffer nan support of nan United States, which is highly important to us.”

“Today is not nan clip for emotions, from either side. We request to find communal ground,” Klitschko wrote successful a station connected Telegram.

___

Associated Press writers Hanna Arhirova and Illia Novikov contributed to this report.