By Maj Gen Jagatbir Singh, VSM (Retd)

Rarely in recent times where systems, norms and interests dominate has the fate of a nation been so dependent on a single relationship. When President Zelensky entered the Oval Office, he needed to repair a deep rift between him and President Donald Trump, who in the previous week had called him a ‘dictator’. But Trump had softened his tone after recently meeting with the British Prime Minister and the French President both of whom spoke about the need for an enduring peace agreement that would deter future Russian aggression. Hence the meeting held the future of US support for Ukraine’s defence against Russia.

But on 28th February the world witnessed something that normally takes place behind closed doors. It was a meeting in the Oval Office that was meant to ease tensions but instead descended into a televised shouting match. By the end Ukraine’s Ambassador to Washington Oksana Markarova was holding her head in her hands.

The Press Conference was cancelled and a deal giving the US access to Ukraine’s critical minerals was not signed. As Zelensky drove back to his plane for an early departure, Trump delivered a terse message on social media accusing Zelensky of being ‘not ready for peace if America is involved’.

The fact is that Trump and Zelensky have fundamentally different visions for how Russia’s war in Ukraine should end. The breakdown in relations between President Donald Trump and President Zelensky has now brought many questions to the fore.

What are the implications of the US pulling the plug as far as assistance to Ukraine goes?  Will this result in a wedge within NATO? and finally can peace talks continue with Ukraine unwilling to enter into any talks?  There are of course that are being also spoken about, the first being a regime change in Kyiv with the new leadership willing to enter into negotiations.

Trump has engaged directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin while and sidelined European allies while joining a handful of countries which include Russia, Iran and North Korea in voting against a UN resolution condemning Putin’s aggression. Yet despite this new geopolitical reality, and despite month after month of grueling fighting that has Russian forces taking territory by the day, Ukrainians themselves remain deeply resistant to accepting an end to the war that would sacrifice their country’s territory and sovereignty.

Currently, the war is stalemated, but Russia has the initiative. Ukraine’s defences on the Eastern front are bending but not breaking, and it retains an enclave in Russia’s Kursk region.

The fact is that Ukraine needs a steady flow of weapons, munitions, and supplies to continue its resistance, and to quote President Zelensky has “a low chance to........

© The Financial Express