特朗普令泽连斯基和乌克兰震惊，他们试图找到前进的道路
【中美创新时报2025 年 3 月 2 日编译讯】（记者温友平编译）去年秋天美国大选前的几个月里，特朗普第二次当选总统的前景加深了乌克兰人的不确定性，他们不确定美国在这场威胁其国家生存的战争中会如何持久地提供支持。《纽约时报》记者Marc Santora 和 Andrew E. Kramer对此作了下述报道。
周五，乌克兰总统泽连斯基与美国总统特朗普在白宫举行了一场灾难性的会晤，此后许多乌克兰人开始得出一个似乎非常明确的结论：特朗普选择了一方，而不是乌克兰一方。
在一次令人震惊的会晤中，曾经不可想象的担忧似乎成倍地接近现实，即乌克兰将被迫在没有美国支持的情况下与更强大的对手进行长期战争。
苏格兰圣安德鲁斯大学国际关系学教授菲利普斯·奥布莱恩在接受采访时表示：“对乌克兰来说，这是一个澄清，尽管不是很好。乌克兰现在只能依靠欧洲国家来获得战斗所需的支持。”
直接的结果是，包括反对派政客在内的乌克兰人普遍支持泽连斯基周六不向特朗普屈服，尽管面临巨大压力。
玛丽娜·肖马克是一名平民，她的儿子癌症诊断因俄罗斯导弹袭击乌克兰最大的儿童癌症医院而变得复杂，她说泽连斯基举止得体。
“他们聚集在一起，目的只有一个：向我们施压，破坏我们在全球政治舞台上的权威，”她在谈到特朗普和他的团队时说道。
泽连斯基周六表示，他并没有完全放弃修复与特朗普关系的希望。他在社交媒体上发帖，特意感谢美国，或许是为了回应特朗普周五对他忘恩负义的抱怨。
“我感谢特朗普总统、国会两党的支持，以及美国人民，”他写道。“乌克兰人一直很感激这种支持，尤其是在这三年的全面入侵期间。”
与此同时，泽连斯基开始与站在乌克兰一边的欧洲国家一起为前进奠定基础。乌克兰周六宣布计划与法国成立一家联合武器公司，资金将来自冻结俄罗斯资产的利息。
当天晚些时候，泽连斯基计划会见英国首相基尔·斯塔默，后者在特朗普严厉斥责的情况下一直支持乌克兰总统。周日，泽连斯基将出席斯塔默主持的欧洲领导人峰会。
虽然大部分焦点都集中在美国总统对一位所谓盟友发表的令人震惊的斥责语气和戏剧性言论上，但奥布莱恩表示，特朗普的言论表明，双方公开决裂的根源更深。
“他试图向泽连斯基施压，让他同意按照普京的路线停火，但泽连斯基拒绝了，”奥布莱恩在谈到俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京时说。“特朗普在最后明确表示了这一点。”
特朗普曾对这位乌克兰领导人大喊：“你就埋在那里”，并说：“你的人民正在死去。你的士兵快要没了。”
当泽连斯基试图为自己辩护时，特朗普打断了他的话。
“不，听着，”他继续说。“然后你告诉我们，‘我不想停火。我不想停火。’”
奥布莱恩说，这种对话反映了特朗普的信念，即“乌克兰应该闭嘴，接受特朗普和普京的条件。”
许多乌克兰人和分析人士认为，引发这一事件的真正侮辱是泽连斯基反对特朗普的一些条件。
在前线，一些士兵表示，他们逐渐意识到特朗普可能不会帮助乌克兰。“特朗普在这场战争中选择了自己的立场，”列兵谢尔盖·赫涅兹迪洛夫周六在前线接受电话采访时说。
赫涅兹迪洛夫表示，他支持泽连斯基的立场，并补充说，他认为，试图羞辱乌克兰领导人可能是邀请他到白宫的目的。
“我们目睹的丑闻基本上是那次会议的唯一目的，”这位私人人士说。“考虑到我们乌克兰人一直将美国视为民主的典范，最重要的是，价值观的典范，这看起来完全是荒谬的。”
他补充说，乌克兰人可能太天真了。
尽管如此，许多乌克兰人还是被华盛顿的公开争吵所震惊，泽连斯基周六试图安抚他饱受战争折磨的国家。
“乌克兰人民需要知道他们并不孤单，他们的利益在每个国家和世界每个角落都有代表，”他在一份声明中说。
欧洲各国领导人纷纷在社交媒体上表达对乌克兰的支持，泽连斯基在转发每一份声明时都表达了个人感谢。
但泽连斯基确实承认，失去美国的军事支持将是一个毁灭性的打击。
“这对我们来说会很困难，”他在白宫会议后告诉福克斯新闻。“这就是我来这里的原因。”
尽管南卡罗来纳州共和党参议员林赛·格雷厄姆发表声明，呼吁泽连斯基辞职或被解职，但会谈结束后，泽连斯基在国内的地位似乎保持稳定。几天前，格雷厄姆称赞这位乌克兰领导人是理想的盟友，但他说：“我不知道我们是否能做生意。”
泽连斯基得到了乌克兰议会议长鲁斯兰·斯特凡丘克的公开支持，如果泽连斯基辞职，斯特凡丘克将接任总统。“全力支持乌克兰总统！”斯特凡丘克在社交媒体上写道。
反对派人士也支持泽连斯基。
“虽然我不完全同意泽连斯基总统的政策，但我必须说，我真的很感谢他顶住了这种压力，”Holos 党议员娜塔莉亚·皮帕在接受采访时说。
“特朗普的行为令人厌恶，居高临下，”她补充道。
政界人士和分析人士表示，乌克兰未来的道路是试图修复与美国的关系，国防承包商是希望继续获得美国支持的群体之一，同时试图巩固欧洲的支持。泽连斯基也将试图在和平谈判中发挥作用，尽管特朗普似乎有意直接与普京打交道。
但白宫对泽连斯基的愤怒是在紧张的背景下发生的，特朗普在言行上越来越与克里姆林宫保持一致。
自 2 月 12 日特朗普拿起电话与普京进行了 90 分钟的通话以来，他称泽连斯基为“独裁者”；错误地指责乌克兰挑起战争；并敦促乌克兰领导人同意其政府的要求，并发文称他“最好快点行动，否则他的国家将不复存在。”
上周，美国国务院终止了一项投资数亿美元帮助恢复乌克兰电网的计划，该计划是在俄罗斯军队袭击乌克兰后实施的。
在向乌克兰施压的同时，特朗普表示，他“非常希望”看到俄罗斯重返七国集团——世界上最富有的大型民主国家的聚会——并表示“将俄罗斯赶出七国集团是一个错误”。
早在谈判开始前，他就向普京提出了在北约和乌克兰领土问题上的慷慨让步，并重申了克里姆林宫对乌克兰选举的呼吁。
作为解散美国国际开发署的努力的一部分，白宫还削减了对民主项目的资助，克里姆林宫对此表示欢迎。
特朗普政府还公开支持以支持莫斯科而闻名的欧洲极右翼政党，包括德国的德国选择党。
美国司法部长帕姆·邦迪还解散了联邦调查局专门调查外国影响行动的特别工作组，国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯下令将俄罗斯从美国网络安全规划的目标中移除。
华盛顿还在联合国的一项投票中站在莫斯科一边，谴责俄罗斯在乌克兰入侵三周年之际的侵略行为——与盟友决裂，加入包括朝鲜和白俄罗斯在内的少数国家集团。
泽连斯基一直坚持认为，乌克兰人经历了多年的损失和苦难，他们最希望的就是战争结束，但如果以自由为代价，他们就不能这样做。
娜塔卡·索斯尼茨卡是乌克兰一家帮助儿童应对战争创伤的组织的项目协调员，她也表达了同样的看法。“当然，我们希望和平，但只有在我们取得胜利之后，”她说。“泽连斯基坚持自己的立场，维护了我们作为一个国家的尊严。”
本文最初刊登于《纽约时报》。
题图：英国首相基尔·斯塔默（左）于周六在伦敦唐宁街 10 号欢迎乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基。Peter Nicholls/Getty
附原英文报道：
Shocked by Trump, Zelensky and Ukraine try to find a way forward
By Marc Santora and Andrew E. Kramer New York Times,Updated March 1, 2025
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to 10 Downing Street in London on Saturday.Peter Nicholls/Getty
WARSAW, Poland − For months leading into the American elections last fall, the prospect of a second Trump presidency deepened uncertainty among Ukrainians over how enduring America’s support would prove in a war threatening their national survival.
After President Volodymyr Zelensky’s disastrous meeting with President Donald Trump in the White House on Friday, many Ukrainians were moving toward a conclusion that seemed perfectly clear: Trump has chosen a side, and it is not Ukraine’s.
In one jaw-dropping meeting, the once-unthinkable fear that Ukraine would be forced to engage in a long war against a stronger opponent without U.S. support appeared to move exponentially closer to reality.
“For Ukraine, it is clarifying, though not in a great way,” Phillips O’Brien, an international relations professor at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, said in an interview. “Ukraine can now only count on European states for the support it needs to fight.”
An immediate result was that Ukrainians, including opposition politicians, were generally supportive of Zelenskyy on Saturday for not bending to Trump despite tremendous pressure.
Maryna Schomak, a civilian whose son’s cancer diagnosis has been complicated by the destruction of Ukraine’s largest children’s cancer hospital by a Russian missile strike, said that Zelenskyy had conducted himself with dignity.
“They gathered with one goal: to pressure us and undermine our authority on the global political stage,” she said of Trump and his team.
Zelenskyy signaled Saturday that he had not completely given up hope of repairing the relationship with Trump. Posting on social media, he went out of his way to thank the United States, perhaps trying to address Trump’s complaint Friday that he was ungrateful.
“I’m thankful to President Trump, Congress for their bipartisan support, and American people,” he wrote. “Ukrainians have always appreciated this support, especially during these three years of full-scale invasion.”
At the same time, Zelenskyy began laying the groundwork for moving ahead with the European countries that have stood by Ukraine’s side. Ukraine announced plans Saturday for a joint weapons venture with France that would be financed by the interest earned from frozen Russian assets.
Later in the day, Zelenskyy was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, who has been a supporter of the Ukrainian president in the face of Trump’s harsh rebukes. On Sunday, Zelenskyy will attend a summit of European leaders hosted by Starmer.
While much of the focus was on the shocking tone and theatrics of the dressing-down delivered by the American president to a putative ally, O’Brien said that Trump’s comments suggested that the root of the public rupture ran deeper.
“He was trying to pressure Zelenskyy into agreeing to a ceasefire along Putin’s lines, and Zelenskyy refused,” O’Brien said, referring to President Vladimir Putin of Russia. “Trump comes out and says that explicitly at the end.”
Trump had shouted at the Ukrainian leader, “You’re buried there,” and said, “Your people are dying. You’re running low on soldiers.”
As Zelenskyy tried to defend himself, Trump talked over him.
“No, listen,” he continued. “And then you tell us, ‘I don’t want a ceasefire. I don’t want a ceasefire.’”
The exchange, O’Brien said, reflects Trump’s belief that “Ukraine should shut up and take Trump’s and Putin’s terms.”
The real affront that prompted the spectacle, many Ukrainians and analysts believe, is that Zelenskyy pushed back against some of Trump’s terms.
Along the front lines, some soldiers said that the realization was sinking in that Trump would probably not help Ukraine. “Trump chose his side in this war,” said Pvt. Serhiy Hnezdilov in a telephone interview from the front Saturday.
Hnezdilov said he supported Zelenskyy’s stance, adding that he thought the attempt to humiliate the Ukrainian leader was probably the goal of the invitation to the White House.
“The scandal we witnessed was essentially the only purpose of that meeting,” the private said. “It looked utterly absurd, considering that we, Ukrainians, have always regarded America as an example of democracy and, most importantly, of values.”
Ukrainians may have been naive, he added.
Still, many Ukrainians were shaken by the public falling-out in Washington, and Zelenskyy sought to reassure his war-weary nation Saturday.
“People in Ukraine need to know they are not alone, that their interests are represented in every country and every corner of the world,” he said in a statement.
Leaders across Europe took to social media to voice support of Ukraine, and Zelenskyy offered his personal thanks for every statement while reposting them.
But Zelenskyy did acknowledge that losing U.S. military support would be a devastating blow.
“It will be difficult for us,” he told Fox News after the White House meeting. “That’s why I’m here.”
Zelenskyy’s domestic standing appeared to be holding steady in the immediate aftermath of the meeting, despite a statement by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., calling for Zelenskyy to resign or be dismissed. “I don’t know if we can ever do business” Graham said, only days after praising the Ukrainian leader as an ideal ally.
Zelenskyy received a public signal of support from the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, who would assume the presidency if Zelenskyy resigned. “Full support for the President of Ukraine!” Stefanchuk wrote in a social media post.
Opposition figures also backed Zelenskyy.
“Though I do not fully agree with President Zelenskyy’s policies, I must say that I am genuinely grateful to him for withstanding this pressure,” Natalia Pipa, a member of parliament for the Holos party, said in an interview.
“Trump behaved disgustingly and condescendingly,” she added.
The path ahead for Ukraine, politicians and analysts said, was to try to repair relations with the United States, where defense contractors are one constituency with an interest in continuing America’s support, while trying to shore up European backing. Zelenskyy will also be trying to get a role in the negotiations for a peace settlement, though Trump seems intent on dealing directly with Putin.
But the anger directed at Zelenskyy in the Oval Office came against a tense backdrop in which Trump has increasingly aligned himself with the Kremlin in words and actions.
Since Trump picked up the phone Feb. 12 for a 90-minute chat with Putin, he has called Zelenskyy “a dictator”; falsely accused Ukraine of starting the war; and pressed the Ukrainian leader to accede to his administration’s demands, posting that he “better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.”
Last week, the State Department terminated an initiative that has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to help restore Ukraine’s energy grid after attacks by the Russian military.
While pressuring Ukraine, Trump has said that he would “love” to see Russia back in the Group of 7 — a gathering of the world’s wealthiest large democracies — and that “it was a mistake to throw them out.”
He offered Putin generous concessions on NATO and Ukrainian territory even before the talks started and repeated the Kremlin’s calls for elections in Ukraine.
The White House has also cut funding for pro-democracy programs as part of its efforts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, a move celebrated by the Kremlin.
The Trump administration has also offered public support for far-right parties in Europe known for their support of Moscow, including the AfD in Germany.
The U.S. attorney general, Pam Bondi, has also disbanded an FBI task force focused on investigating foreign influence operations, and the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, has ordered that Russia be removed as a target of U.S. cybersecurity planning.
Washington also sided with Moscow in a vote at the United Nations that would have condemned Russian aggression on the third anniversary of the Ukraine invasion — breaking with allies to join a small group of nations including North Korea and Belarus.
Having endured years of loss and suffering, Ukrainians would like nothing more than to see an end to the war, but not if the price is their freedom, Zelenskyy has been insisting.
Natalka Sosnytska, program coordinator at a Ukrainian organization that helps children with war trauma, echoed that sentiment. “Of course, we want peace, but only after our victory,” she said. “By standing his ground, Zelenskyy preserved our dignity as a nation.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
