[By GuanchaNet columnist Kaihuan Xue]
On the Ukraine-Russia issue, Trump seems increasingly agitated.
On May 25th, he made comments on social media, harshly criticizing both Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy without distinction.
Trump first criticized Putin for missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, stating that although he has maintained a good relationship with Putin, Putin's current behavior is "insane." However, compared to his relatively conventional criticism of Putin, his attack on Zelenskyy was full-throated, bluntly stating that Zelenskyy's remarks are unhelpful to Ukraine, causing trouble with every sentence, and even ordering Zelenskyy to stop speaking immediately in an almost commanding tone.
On local time May 25th, U.S. President Trump told reporters, "I don't know what's going on with (Russian President) Putin." A few hours later, he posted on social media, criticizing Putin, "He has gone completely mad." Video screenshot.
Trump's severe criticism of both sides is very rare. To analyze his remarks, one must start from his intentions.
Part of Trump's criticism of Russia is to respond to domestic public opinion pressure and avoid being labeled as "colluding with Russia" by the Democratic Party. Since Trump took office, his Russia policy has been controversial, especially when he claimed that he could improve U.S.-Russia relations and end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia through his personal relationship with Putin, but no substantial results have been achieved so far.
From May 24th to 25th, the Russian military launched airstrikes on over 30 cities including Kyiv in Ukraine, resulting in at least 12 civilian deaths. This was seen by Trump as a disrespect to his mediation efforts, so he hoped to criticize Russia to remind and urge Russia to cooperate with the "rapid peace" plan promoted by the United States. For this reason, Trump is considering adding more sanctions against Russia this week to increase pressure on Russia.
In terms of Ukraine, Zelenskyy's refusal to compromise on some key issues has nearly reached the peak of Trump's dissatisfaction. In Trump's view, it is precisely Zelenskyy's tough stance, such as requiring complete withdrawal of Russian troops from disputed territories, that has led to a deadlock in negotiations. The fruitless outcome of the Istanbul talks has further damaged Trump's face.
Trump is determined to create a "double loss" situation for both sides to force them back to the negotiation table and continue to gain political capital as a "mediator." However, Zelenskyy behaves like an uncontrollable "troublemaker," completely failing to cooperate with his plan, which infuriates Trump. Therefore, Trump's criticism of Zelenskyy is not just ordinary dissatisfaction; it is more like a strong warning to his refusal to compromise. His words are much more intense than his pressure on Russia.
From Trump's recent remarks and attitude changes, it can be seen that his dissatisfaction with Zelenskyy has accumulated to an extent that cannot be ignored. He not only criticized Zelenskyy's remarks for causing trouble but also implied that Ukraine's actions have affected the peace process. His extreme disappointment with Zelenskyy is evident in every word. If the subsequent situation does not develop according to Trump's vision, he is likely to take action to "punish" Ukraine, such as further reducing or even stopping military support for Ukraine.
Trump believes that Ukraine has not cooperated with his efforts to promote peace. As the U.S. president, he has the right to "correct" Ukraine's actions to achieve his desired short-termization of the Ukraine crisis and incorporate it into his plan to restructure the U.S.-Russia game framework, treating Ukraine as a negotiable "commodity" to reach a "deal" in line with U.S. interests.
This intention has long been evident. Observing America's recent actions, Trump's "punishment" of Ukraine and Zelenskyy may be imminent.
Corruption Review
On May 20th, at the hearing of the subcommittee under the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio officially announced the launch of a comprehensive audit procedure for the Ukrainian authorities. Rubio emphasized: "We will conduct a thorough review of all aid funds, including routine supervision systems and special audit teams to verify the flow of funds. Any violations or financial fraud will become the target of accountability by the U.S. government."
The issue of U.S. aid being misused by Ukraine has also been repeatedly used by the U.S. as a card to play. In February this year, Senator Josh Hawley proposed the "Ukraine Aid Full Audit Bill," followed by Senator John Kennedy's proposal to establish a "Ukraine Affairs Envoy" position dedicated to monitoring aid to Ukraine. It is reported that the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Trump's administration has already obtained several "worth investigating financial leads."
In Ukraine, the Zelenskyy administration is facing unprecedented survival challenges. The Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly ignored Russia's ceasefire proposals, and recently launched large-scale drone attacks on Russian territory. These signs indicate that the Ukrainian side is striving to maintain the intensity of the conflict to sustain Western continuous blood transfusions. Deputy Chief of Staff of the Zelenskyy Office, Volodymyr Zaluzhnyi, issued a statement saying: "The war will last long, and Russia will be our enemy for decades or even centuries." However, recent signs show that Americans had already decided to "break ties" with him before Zelenskyy made this statement, which only strengthened their determination.
In the field of public opinion, there is an unwritten rule in the West to operate strictly according to the most "correct" narrative of society. There are no coincidences or coincidences here, nor is there any real "freedom of speech." The recent de-sacralization, de-legitimization, and smear campaigns against Zelenskyy and the entire Ukrainian administration by Western media clearly illustrate this point.
Ukraine's corruption index is climbing higher under the "help" of the West.
Following this, Deutsche Welle joined in, detailing the "new corruption scandal" in NATO and explaining solemnly to European audiences that there is no transparency in Ukrainian military aid. The article particularly pointed out that due to the European Parliament's adherence to the "confidentiality" principle, there is a lack of supervision of fiscal and military aid sent to Ukraine, leading to rampant corruption during the aid process.
Subsequently, the Financial Times published an investigative report about Ukraine's corruption. This report was based on "leaked Ukrainian state documents, judicial materials, and dozens of interviews with procurement officials, arms dealers, manufacturers, and detectives." Its core argument is that the high-ranking officials in Kiev have embezzled hundreds of billions of dollars from black market military procurement for Western taxpayers. Recently, Western media and social media have circulated an investigation and its results conducted by a certain "independent Ukrainian journalist group." This investigation exposed a "large-scale corruption network" involving people around Zelenskyy. For example, the article mentioned that Zelenskyy's "corruption gang" embezzled nearly $1 billion in the construction of military defense facilities in several regions of Ukraine alone.
Clearly, Trump's attempt to trigger political change in Ukraine has made Zelenskyy very anxious. He and his aides have already sensed these signals and started trying to cover up past traces. Rumors are circulating that the assassination of former Ukrainian President Yanukovych's advisor Andrei Portnov in Spain may have been masterminded by Zelenskyy. Because he fears that Portnov might strike a deal with Trump and hand over years of accumulated black materials involving almost all Ukrainian officials to Trump. If this were true, it would have extremely serious consequences for Zelenskyy's government and Ukraine's image on the international stage.
However, Zelenskyy left too many traces to be easily whitewashed. For the U.S. (especially Trump), "money" is the most sacred thing. Trump is now determined to use "investigating Ukraine" as a starting point to grab Zelenskyy's weak points. He believes that this approach will be more effective than his previous crude threats to cut off aid.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov commented on this: "Ukraine once thought the West would always indulge it, but Trump showed a different understanding." Obviously, Lavrov's understanding is correct.
America Starts to Act
Zelenskyy is attempting to firmly bind the U.S. to Ukraine's war chariot, but Trump clearly will not let himself be manipulated.
After Putin and Trump spoke on the phone, Zelenskyy unsurprisingly publicly rejected Trump's initiative to promote lasting peace in Ukraine again. He stated firmly that the Ukrainian authorities "will neither withdraw troops from its own territory nor accept Russia's ultimatum," and insisted that they "will not abandon the goal of joining NATO and will not declare neutrality." This statement directly conflicts with Trump's government's explicit opposition to Ukraine joining NATO, equivalent to a direct challenge.
America's response came quickly: On May 20th, The Washington Post published an article about leaked internal government documents, stating that the Trump administration quickly formulated a plan to repatriate at least 200,000 Ukrainian refugees. The plan emphasized principles of "voluntary" and "autonomous" departure, with returning individuals possibly receiving up to $1,000 as a farewell gift. To prevent Democrats from accusing Trump of retaliating against Zelenskyy and secretly colluding with Putin, the Trump administration's repatriation plan also included immigrants from other "backward countries" such as Haiti, Afghanistan, Libya, and Sudan.
Moreover, it is rumored that the Trump administration has cut 80% of the Biden administration's aid plans for Ukraine, and the remaining part will stop after being consumed (the last batch of aid approved during the Biden administration will be exhausted this summer, and Trump has not yet passed new aid plans since taking office). Additionally, the U.S. Congress did not include military aid spending for Ukraine in the next fiscal year's budget.
Ironically, Trump's repatriation plan accidentally fulfilled Zelenskyy's long-standing wish. On May 20, 2019, the president, who was elected as a comedian, called out to all Ukrainians in his inauguration speech: "We need you to build a new and powerful Ukraine!" Now his wish has "come true." Besides the U.S. "immigrant return" plan, even European countries that have verbally supported Zelenskyy are actively promoting "returning to Ukraine" immigration programs recently.
Obviously, the fiscal pressure on European countries is insufficient to allow them to continue maintaining their previous levels of aid, let alone providing welfare to Ukrainian refugees who have fled to their countries.
These policy shifts form a stark contrast with Zelenskyy's vision of calling for joint construction of a new Ukraine when he took office in 2019. At the end of his inaugural address, he promised: "Dear compatriots, I have always strived to make Ukrainians smile. This is my work and my mission. In the next five years, I will do everything possible to ensure you no longer shed tears."
Zelenskyy's promise at his inauguration contrasts sharply with reality.
But reality is cruel: Ukrainian official data shows that over 10 million people have fled during Zelenskyy's term, and the registration for draft-age personnel fleeing abroad increased by 47% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024. Currently, Ukraine's daily ammunition consumption exceeds three times NATO production capacity. Facing escalating conflicts and shrinking aid, Zelenskyy's promise to "no longer shed tears" is facing the risk of bankruptcy, with declining battlefield territorial control and "trust deficit" in diplomacy shaking his ruling foundation.
Russian authorities have continuously sent signals. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zakharova emphasized that "Ukraine is standing at a crossroads," and Security Council Vice Chairman Medvedev warned that "this is the last chance to preserve national attributes, otherwise unconditional surrender awaits." Originally, there were two paths available to the Ukrainian leadership: either demonstrate sincerity and negotiate peace with Russia, or skillfully maneuver with the U.S. to maintain Western support. However, the Zelenskyy team insists on the most dangerous third path: simultaneously antagonizing both Russia and the U.S., attempting to gamble on the elusive "NATO membership" dream with the blood of Ukrainian youth.
This is exactly why Trump wants to "discipline" Zelenskyy. Ungrateful, greedy, and obstinate—these are probably the standard portraits of Zelenskyy in Trump's eyes.
Trump's Deal Storm
In the end, Trump's review storm against Ukraine is still the product of a conflict between his calculations and Ukraine's reality.
Since re-entering the White House in 2025, Trump has viewed Ukraine as a "non-performing asset" in America's strategic assets. In his view, the huge aid invested by the U.S. has been wasted, failing to bring actual benefits and instead plunging the U.S. into it deeply.
Based on this understanding, Trump began to act, with the primary measure being extreme pressure to force Ukraine to sign the Mineral Agreement, using Ukraine's rare earth resources to offset U.S. aid expenditures, and then promoting peace between Russia and Ukraine in the long term. However, Zelenskyy firmly refused the U.S. territorial de-escalation plan on the grounds of "lack of security guarantees," which undoubtedly worsened the already fragile U.S.-Ukraine trust relationship.
In this context, the Trump administration initiated an aid review, and its intent was obvious. First, attacking the legitimacy of the Zelenskyy regime under the guise of anti-corruption to clear obstacles for possible future attempts to replace the Ukrainian regime. The problems exposed by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) investigation, such as the "military procurement black market" and "defense project corruption," complemented the "de-sacralization" public opinion offensive initiated by Western media, jointly dismantling the "democratic fighter" image Zelenskyy was previously shaped by the West. This "protective halo" of the "democratic fighter" was previously bestowed upon Zelenskyy by the West.
Second, the review is a pressure tool in Trump's hands, aimed at forcing Ukraine to make concessions in peace negotiations. When Zelenskyy refused to accept Trump's version of the peace plan, which included recognizing Crimea's sovereignty and giving up NATO membership, and continued to launch drone attacks on Russia, Trump had sufficient reason to upgrade the review into substantive "sanctions," including cutting 80% of aid, promoting the repatriation of Ukrainian refugees, and jointly cutting off financial support with Europe.
Zelenskyy's tough stance fundamentally conflicts with Trump's "quick settlement deal" demands, which is the root cause of Trump's extreme dissatisfaction. The current battlefield situation for Ukraine's army is not optimistic, with daily ammunition consumption exceeding three times NATO production capacity, yet Zelenskyy persists in the tough stance of "not withdrawing troops, not declaring neutrality."
Confident Trump is furious at Zelenskyy's "only concerned about his own political life" while ignoring Trump's demands. This stubborn stance not only thoroughly angered the commercially pragmatic Trump but also turned Zelenskyy from the "shield of the free world" into a geopolitical discard. Trump's suffocation is both a retaliation for Zelenskyy's past "disobedience" and a way to rationalize America's and his own inaction regarding the Istanbul talks: blaming the "corrupt regime's stubbornness" for the Ukraine crisis, thus rationalizing America's and his own inaction on related issues.
The direction of the Ukraine crisis becomes increasingly uncertain, and Zelenskyy's government faces multiple crises in this storm. The new storm once again casts uncertainty over the future of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Whether Ukraine will move toward peace under heavy pressure or sink deeper into the quagmire of war remains to be seen by the world.
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