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

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 White House's memorandum of the call revealed Trump encouraged Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden, while Zelensky showered Trump in compliments and mentioned buying Javelin missiles from the U.S. But what happens between Trump and Zelensky is "for political insiders," Volodymyr Fesenko, who runs the Kyiv-based Penta Center for Political Studies, tells Politico. "It has no impact on the everyman," he continued, saying everyday issues like increased heating bills would more likely hurt Zelensky's 71 percent approval rating.

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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.