AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have had a difficult relationship dating back to Trump's first term. That long-standing friction erupted into an on-camera shouting match at the White House on Friday. And this very public dispute could have an impact on what comes next in the Russia-Ukraine War. For a look ahead, we're joined now by NPR's Greg Myre, who has reported extensively on that war. Good morning, Greg.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hi, Ayesha.
RASCOE: So by now, most people have probably seen this Trump-Zelenskyy feud in the Oval Office. What does this mean for the U.S.-Ukraine alliance and can it be fixed?
MYRE: Well, I think we will see efforts to try and repair it. We don't know for sure what will play out. But what we can say is this outburst didn't come out of nowhere. There has been this tension dating back years, and we really saw it building in recent weeks. Trump threatened to withhold aid to Ukraine in a phone call with Zelenskyy back in 2019. That led to Trump's first impeachment. Trump openly questioned the value of aid to Ukraine during his presidential campaign. He recently called Zelenskyy a dictator and blamed Ukraine for starting the war. So Friday's meeting was supposed to smooth over these tensions, but it made things worse, much worse. Now, as the heat of that moment passes, it is likely Trump and Zelenskyy will find that they still need some sort of working relationship.
RASCOE: It's understandable why Zelenskyy needs Trump. Ukraine needs more military help. Talk to me about why Trump needs Zelenskyy if the U.S. president just wants to end the war as soon as possible.
MYRE: Well, because to end the Russia-Ukraine war, both of these countries will have to make compromises. If the U.S. turns its back and cuts off aid to Ukraine, then yes, Ukraine will be weaker on the battlefield. It will feel pressure to make compromises. But what about Russia, which is quite happily watching this U.S.-Ukraine feud and expects to gain from it? Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin, has been willing to pay a very high price in both troops and equipment for limited gains in Ukraine. If Russia starts making additional gains and feel Ukraine is becoming weaker, then Putin is likely to want to continue the war, not negotiate a ceasefire while he's advancing. So this U.S.-Ukraine tension could have the effect of making it harder, not easier, to negotiate an end to the fighting.
RASCOE: Do you have a sense of what kind of deal Trump wants to achieve?
MYRE: Trump is sending a clear signal he wants a deal to end the war as soon as possible. His priority is to do this quickly. Now, Trump and his team have spoken publicly about concessions that Ukraine will need to make, saying Ukraine won't be joining NATO, Ukraine won't get back all its territory - all this before the negotiations have really begun.And Ukraine's big fear is that the negotiations will largely take place between the U.S. and Russia, and then Ukraine will be pressured to accept a bad deal.
And this would be a real reversal from the Biden administration, which isolated Russia and said there would always be no negotiations, nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine. And just one additional note, Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who's hosting Zelenskyy and European leaders today, said Britain, France and Ukraine were working on their own ceasefire plan.
RASCOE: How badly would Ukraine be hurt if the U.S. cuts off military and diplomatic support?
MYRE: Well, the blow would be substantial. The U.S. has given more military aid to help Ukraine than any other country. And consider just one example, Ukraine relies heavily on U.S. air defenses against missiles and drones that Russia unleashes most every night. Ukraine shoots most of them down, but without a resupply from the U.S., Ukraine would be very, very vulnerable.
RASCOE: That's NPR's Greg Myre. Greg, thanks so much.
MYRE: Sure thing, Ayesha. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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