The White House Will Not Tolerate Zelensky's Double Game

Providing excessive support for the Ukrainian regime and the war fits neatly into Brussels’ agenda.

Ukrainian President Zelensky analyzing the frontline situation (Photo: AFP)

What we fail to understand—and what Europe’s current pro-war leaders should finally explain—is how they have managed to measure such progress in a country where a president with an expired mandate has, citing wartime conditions, dismantled the most fundamental pillars of civilian democracy. What exactly have they assessed in a nation where a rigid dictatorship suppresses parliamentary democracy, silences the press, bans protests, punishes critics of the regime with impunity, and indiscriminately detains and forcibly drafts Ukrainian men—without even considering their suitability for military service? In Ukraine, the human rights of national minorities are trampled upon, the use of their native languages is restricted, and hatred against Russians is officially incited, including the banning of Russian culture and religious practices. Essentially, not a single aspect of governance aligns with European norms.

The casual observer might struggle to understand why Western liberal politicians idolize Volodymyr Zelensky—a leader who sends hundreds of thousands to their deaths in an unwinnable war, who turns a blind eye to the rampages of extremist, Nazi-sympathizing groups, who allows rampant arms smuggling and unfathomable corruption, and who has permitted the majority of Ukraine’s farmland to fall into foreign hands.

The behavior of the Brussels “elite” might seem comprehensible and logical if we consider that, through their shameless funding of illegal migration, their dismantling of Judeo-Christian traditions and culture, their obsession with gender ideology, their embrace of cancel culture, and their opposition to patriotism, they are digging Europe’s grave in much the same way that Zelensky is destroying his own country. Things that belong together will naturally align: the Ukrainian regime and its boundless support for the war fit perfectly into Brussels’ agenda—but the issue is far more complex than it appears.

The European Union embraces and supports Zelensky, who, in turn, entices Trump with promises that the U.S. (perhaps alongside the British) could extract Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.

The problem, however, is that Zelensky is simultaneously obstructing peace negotiations. The Ukrainian president is trying to appease the EU by continuing the war, while offering Trump something that cannot be delivered without a peace deal. But why is Zelensky so emboldened?

The answer is closely tied to the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, which European liberals and American Democrats hope will allow them to restrain President Trump and prolong the war. Whether their gamble will pay off remains uncertain, as does the question of which side time is working in favor of. However, one thing is clear: Trump is unlikely to tolerate Zelensky’s double game for much longer.

The author is a writer and journalist.