Kiev braces for end of US support, diplomat tells Bild
2 Min Read
Fearing a shift in US policy under Trump, Ukrainian officials are bracing for a future without American support, rejecting a peace plan they see as too soft on Russia.
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National flags wave on graves of Ukrainian soldiers killed since a beginning of Russian invasion, at the military cemetery in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP)
Ukrainian officials are reportedly preparing for the possibility that the United States may permanently cut off its support, as concern deepens over the trajectory of US foreign policy under President Donald Trump.
According to a Bild report published Thursday, a senior Ukrainian diplomat revealed that Kiev is actively planning for what they consider a "worst-case scenario."
"We are preparing for the worst-case scenario, that is, the end of the US support," the diplomat told the German outlet.
The same official voiced frustration with Trump's proposed peace plan, criticizing it for failing to hold the Kremlin accountable and for lacking any punitive measures against Moscow.
"We hoped it was just Trump's negotiation tactic, but Trump is not putting any pressure on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin nor imposing any sanctions," the diplomat said.
The source added that the proposals presented were unacceptable not just to Ukraine's leadership, but to its citizens as well.
"What stands on paper and the signals during negotiations are unacceptable ... We will not give up just like that. Even if the government was in favor of it, which it is not, the population would oppose the idea," the diplomat stressed.
Sovereignty bargain
Trump's plan, according to The Wall Street Journal, reportedly calls for Ukraine to abandon its NATO ambitions, formally recognize Crimea as Russian territory, and accept a neutral buffer zone around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, potentially under US oversight.
These conditions have fueled alarm in Kiev, where officials fear such concessions would legitimize Russia's territorial gains and weaken Ukraine's security position.
Trump has also publicly criticized President Volodymyr Zelensky for refusing to cede Crimea to Russia.
"Zelensky could have ended this long ago," Trump recently said, according to AP, implying that Kiev's refusal to make territorial concessions was prolonging the war.
In response, European allies have reaffirmed support for Ukraine's sovereignty. French President Emmanuel Macron stated that any peace agreement must respect Ukraine's territorial integrity, an indirect rebuke to Trump's apparent tilt toward a Russian-favored settlement.
Read more: 'Vladimir, STOP!': Trump to Putin after Kiev strike
