The Ukrainian government appeared to distance itself from remarks made by Valerii Zaluzhny on Thursday afternoon. When asked by POLITICO, Ukraine’s foreign ministry clarified that the views expressed by the Ukrainian ambassador were his personal opinions.
Speaking at the Chatham House think tank, Zaluzhny stated, “We see that it is not just the axis of evil and Russia trying to revise the world order, but the U.S. is finally destroying this order.”
He warned that Trump’s negotiations with Russia to end the war indicated that Washington was taking “steps towards the Kremlin, trying to meet them halfway.”
Since assuming office, Trump has committed to ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. However, he has proceeded with peace talks without directly involving Ukraine, halted U.S. aid to the country, and declined to commit to security guarantees in a post-war agreement.
Zaluzhny previously served as Ukraine’s commander-in-chief and was widely credited for defending against Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. However, after Kyiv’s counteroffensive stalled, he was dismissed early last year and appointed ambassador to the U.K. in July.
He cautioned that Moscow’s next target “could be Europe” and described a recent lapse in intelligence-sharing as “a huge challenge for the entire world.”
His statements followed a POLITICO report on Thursday revealing that four senior members of Trump’s team had secretly met with some of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s key political opponents.
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