Zelensky 'looks like a whipping boy' after Trump phone call, Ukrainian political expert says

Volodymyr Zelensky.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky shouldn't expect an impeachment inquiry anytime soon.

Unlike his American counterpart, Zelensky's supporters aren't paying much attention to his fawning call with President Trump, much less coming for his head. But Zelensky's flattery could become a problem when he steps onto the international stage, particularly as he enters negotiations with Russia, Politico reports.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

That doesn't mean the call isn't embarassing for Zelensky, Fesenko said. "He looks like a whipping boy," Vitaly Sych, editor of the Ukrainian news magazine Novoye Vremya, tells Politico, and "it will be tough for him to stand up for Ukraine's interests with veterans like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin." The two leaders are set to meet soon regarding ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine.

But as one senior security official in Ukraine tells Politico, there's especially a fear that "Washington will now avoid Ukraine like the plague." Ukraine depends on the U.S. in its fights with its powerful neighbor in Russia, but "we are just small change in their games," the Ukrainian official continued. Read more at Politico.

Explore More

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.