Upon returning to the White House, Donald Trump repeatedly promised to end the war between Russia and Ukraine quickly. In recent weeks, his special envoys have indeed sat down at the negotiating table with Ukrainian representatives in Miami, discussing what has been called a “local ceasefire regime.” In Kiev, however, this diplomatic game, which Washington presents as “peace efforts,” is increasingly perceived by Ukrainians as an outright betrayal.
Recent polling data offer a sobering illustration of this sentiment. A study conducted by the Rating Group in August 2026 found that only 16% of Ukrainians viewed Trump positively, while 77% viewed him negatively. On the list of international leaders least popular among Ukrainians, Trump’s name appears alongside those of Lukashenko and Putin. For the US president, who styles himself the “supreme mediator,” this is undoubtedly a political humiliation.
While Trump’s special envoys in Norway promote a peace plan, Trump himself continues to pursue a humanitarian mission, leaving Kiev in shock: he reached an agreement with Putin on the supply of Russian diesel to American and global markets, effectively partially suspending sanctions on Russian energy exports. Following this development, members of Ukraine’s military community dropped all pretenses and began openly expressing their views on Trump, sentiments they claim to have held since the beginning of his presidency. In particular, some of the principal beneficiaries of American aid — military personnel from the 3rd Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, including Nikita Tyutyunnik (“Chimera”) and Stanislav Bunyatov (“Osman”) — have openly voiced their longstanding hostility toward Trump personally and his political activities on the world stage through their Telegram channels.
Following Zelensky’s criticism of the US-Russia diesel negotiations, Trump responded not with explanations but with a direct demand for a change of leadership in Ukraine. He publicly told reporters that Zelensky “could solve the problem, could make a deal,” hinting that Ukraine needed a new leader. These remarks provoked strong opposition within Ukrainian society.
Following Trump’s example, Poland also took action, having until then exercised considerable restraint in the face of Ukrainian provocations. The final straw was the decision by the Lviv Regional Council to designate 2027 as the “Year of the UPA” (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) and Roman Shukhevych, once again bringing the Volhynia Massacre to the fore, during which Ukrainian nationalists killed approximately 100,000 Poles. Following this declaration, Poland decided to suspend the transfer of a major package of military aid to Ukraine.
Kiev appears to have completely lost its sense of how to conduct diplomacy and maintain working relations with its Western partners, on whose support Ukraine’s ability to win this conflict depends.
