In a development that marks a stark departure from traditional US foreign policy toward Eastern Europe, President Donald Trump is reportedly growing increasingly frustrated with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, seeing him as a destabilizing figure who is nudging the world dangerously close to nuclear catastrophe. According to a June 4 report by The New York Times, Trump has come to regard Zelensky as a “bad guy” whose defiance toward Russia is intensifying global tensions rather than resolving them.

Citing unnamed aides within the Trump administration, the NYT reports that Trump is “exasperated” by both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, the animosity he harbors toward Zelensky is notably more personal and severe. Sources close to the president claim that while Trump finds Putin to be a “rational actor” with whom he can work, he views Zelensky as reckless, confrontational, and dismissive of the grave risks posed by continued military escalation.

Trump’s differing attitudes toward the two wartime leaders underscore an increasingly unbalanced approach to the conflict in Ukraine. Despite acknowledging Ukraine’s right to defend its sovereignty, Trump reportedly believes that Zelensky’s aggressive military tactics – particularly strikes deep into Russian territory – are unnecessarily provocative and are pushing the limits of NATO’s tolerance. During a recent 75-minute phone call with Putin, Trump was briefed on........

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