US President Donald Trump’s February 28 meeting in the Oval Office with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a media stunt. The New York Times called it a “showdown.” The intended audience was Russian President Putin, whom renowned historian Timothy Snyder has recently pointed out has hold of Trump’s heart. The presence at the meeting of TASS, a Russian state-owned news agency, should only amplify our concerns that the meeting’s primary purpose was to beat Zelenskyy into submission to Russia. 

Trump staged the meeting to create a chilling effect on the Ukrainian leader and to warm up to Russia. This has disastrous implications for Ukraine and may have frozen Zelenskyy out of Washington for the next four years — if he lives that long. It is no comfort to Ukraine that Senator Lindsay Graham, a steadfast supporter of Ukraine in its war against Russia, stated to the media after the meeting that Zelenskyy would have to “fundamentally change or go.”

My perspective on the war in Ukraine is personal. In 2022, I made numerous trips to Ukraine over six months. I was a civilian volunteer supporting a combat unit of the Ukrainian armed forces and delivering aid across the country. I worked close to the battle lines and got to know the terrain of Ukraine well. I spoke with hundreds of Ukrainians about the war and what peace with Russia might look like. I listened to their collective hopes for Ukraine to be part of Europe and far from Russia. And I saw massive destruction all throughout the country. This war has displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians in Ukraine. It is a brutal war.

When I conversed with Ukrainians, I saw traits that reminded me of Israelis: adaptation, innovation, tenacity and, above all, a vision for a better future. This was even true at memorial services for soldiers killed in battle. In short, I saw a people that in many ways felt very familiar; as an American and Israeli, I feel an affinity with Ukrainians, a people fighting against the odds for survival and freedom. Surrounded by an all-powerful enemy, Ukraine has managed to hold the line and avoid a Russian victory. But time is running out. US policy appears to be on the brink of a change that may have apocalyptic consequences for Ukraine.

The words, tone and conduct of Trump and US Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office should give us all grave concern. We may be nearing an abyss for US–Ukraine relations specifically and American foreign policy more generally. I am worried for the immediate safety of ordinary Ukrainians and for their future. Trump and Vance displayed a crude rejection of Zelenskyy and Ukraine. In doing so, they signaled a new world order to Putin, one in which Trump’s administration will be favoring Russia. The next move will be removing sanctions to facilitate and re-establish Russian visibility and economic muscle in the West. This comes at the expense of Ukrainians, who may well find themselves from one night to the next in a pro-Russian dictatorship.

Putin has a playbook. It is called Chechnya. Putin may well replace Zelenskyy with a pro-Moscow Ukrainian strongman, not unlike the way that Putin elevated the Kadyrov family in Chechnya to secure peace. Putin may have Trump behind him, cheering him on in imposing a new order in Ukraine. And while such an imposition of a brutal pro-Russian regime onto Ukraine has always been a possibility, in the back of the minds of many Ukrainians, I never imagined that the US would accelerate a Ukrainian defeat and pave the way for a Putin-appointed dictator. But that may be the peace that Putin envisions, and that Trump will jump to negotiate.

It is beyond the pale for a democratically elected US government to support a Russian satellite state based in Kyiv. But this now seems to be on the table. We don’t know what has been negotiated behind closed doors already, but Putin appears to be more influential in the White House now than ever before.

The US has played right into the hands of Russia, the aggressor in the bloodiest conflict on European soil since the Second World War. Trump is slamming the door to a just peace and reaffirming Putin’s dominance. And this seems to be contrived haphazardly with no thought about how much harm Russia can unleash onto Europe as Putin expands Russia’s borders.

As an American, I am deeply ashamed of Trump’s conduct toward Zelenskyy at the Oval Office. Trump exploited an imbalance in power. Trump and Vance should display humility and strength. That is what real leadership entails. They did the opposite. They performed for Putin. And this will have a price in the coming years, as Putin now knows he has an ability to dictate policy to the US.

The next chapter for Ukrainians is around the corner, and it appears bleak. I read this week’s events as part of a plot to kill Ukraine. And events may happen faster than we expect. I don’t know what I will say to my Ukrainian friends, but no apology will console or be sufficient. I won’t ask for forgiveness. From a moral standpoint, the US has failed Ukraine and set into motion a possibly irreversible series of events that will foreclose any just and equitable settlement.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.