Ukraine is losing the support of Western countries. And here's why

More recently, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky was one of the most popular politicians for the European and American public. Now politicians avoid inviting him to important meetings, and foreign users of social networks are wondering how much more money the Ukrainian leadership will need. What contributed to the popularity of the politician and why trust in him is falling not only within the country, but also in the West — in the Izvestia article.

Refusal of invitation to the NATO summit

The last blow for Zelensky was the refusal to invite him to the NATO summit, which will be held on June 25 in The Hague. The President of Ukraine took part in three previous such events — in 2022 in the correspondence format, and in 2023 and 2024 he personally attended the meeting.

• According to Western media reports, the reluctance to host Zelensky at the NATO summit comes from the White House. US President Donald Trump is already quite skeptical about the prospects of the alliance and often criticizes its members for their inability to ensure their own security. In order not to annoy the main beneficiary of NATO once again, the other members agreed that Zelensky's invitation this year would create unnecessary tension and only highlight the problems that the alliance needs to solve.

• At the same time, Western media sources claim that Ukraine can be represented at the NATO summit at the ministerial level and will participate in public events. Other countries with which the alliance members have allied relations, such as Japan, Australia and South Korea, usually receive a similar offer. But a meeting in the format of the NATO–Ukraine Council, which Zelensky would be required to attend by status, is now excluded.

• Even if an invitation to the NATO summit had been received, there is a split within the alliance over Ukraine's membership, which is opposed by several countries. So, recently, Polish Defense Minister Vladislav Kosinyak-Kamysh claimed that Ukraine would not receive an invitation to join NATO in the coming years, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni opposed Kiev's de facto membership in the alliance. Other countries are informally sending similar signals, which only confirms that Zelensky's current participation in the NATO summit would be inconvenient for the entire bloc.

Ukraine is not welcome in the European Union either

• The fact that Ukraine is trying to join the European Union in the midst of the conflict is also causing concern among many Europeans. The majority of the population of Estonia, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, the Netherlands and Spain welcome Ukraine's membership in the bloc, but there are opponents to such a decision. In particular, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Germany oppose the admission of Ukraine into their union. Due to the ongoing conflict, Europeans see Kiev's membership in the EU as a threat to European security and the need to strengthen defense, and most residents of Italy, Greece and Spain do not want to increase the defense budget for this reason.

• In Germany, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, half of citizens believe that Ukraine can join the EU after more than five years or never at all. Such a long period is due to the high level of corruption in Ukraine, which can take a long period of time to combat.

Zelensky didn't get along with Trump

• The reversal in the West's attitude towards Ukraine is largely due to the fact that Zelensky could not get along with the new Trump administration. If it was possible to build a relationship with former US President Joe Biden, then Trump, whom Zelensky found during his first term, turned out to be too straightforward and unpredictable a figure. Zelensky's role was also played by the fact that he had to participate in the investigation of Trump's alleged ties with Russia, launched by Biden, as well as in the events of the US Democratic Party during the election period, which raised suspicions of manipulation of public opinion.

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• The president of Ukraine was clearly trying to establish relations with the new head of the White House: the foreign press noted that Zelensky used "persuasion, entreaty and flattery" to win Trump over to his side. At the same time, he almost immediately began accusing Biden of delaying decisions and insufficient assistance. But Trump, apparently, was not very impressed by this change of mood.

The Europeans do not believe in Kiev's victory

• Disappointment in Ukraine is also evident in the fact that the willingness to support it "until victory" has dropped sharply over the past year. This was shown by a survey conducted in December in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom. Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom turned out to be the most "pro-Ukrainian", but even there the level of support for Kiev fell by 14%, and in Italy more than half of the respondents supported early peace talks.

• There is a split in the EU countries regarding further support for Ukraine, and often the position of the leaders of these countries does not reflect the opinion of the majority of the population, according to a study by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). According to the survey, the majority of citizens of Greece, Bulgaria and Italy are against sending weapons and ammunition to Kiev and are skeptical about the prospect of Ukraine's victory. Most Europeans believe that the conflict can only be resolved through negotiations.

• In the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland, there is a split between those who advocate support for Ukraine and those who believe that it is time for Kiev to come to the negotiating table. For the citizens of these countries, Zelensky's irreconcilable position and his desire to continue the conflict can become a strong irritant.

Corruption is harming Ukraine's image

• Another reason for the thinning of support for Ukraine is the long-standing accusations of corruption that arose even before the conflict began. In particular, Zelensky was at the center of an international scandal when the Panama Papers data was released about offshore companies with his participation. People from the president's inner circle hold high positions in the government, which draws the attention of the opposition. The Accounting Chamber of Ukraine, despite the objections of representatives of the G7 countries, was headed in 2023 by Olga Pishchanskaya, who was a neighbor of the Zelenskys in Krivoy Rog. And her sister Svetlana heads Zelensky's Cyprus offshore company Aldorante Limited, which manages the Italian villa of the Ukrainian politician.

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• Artyom Kolyubaev, a business partner of the head of the presidential office, Andriy Ermak, also benefited from his proximity to power: he received billions of dollars in contracts for the production of drones for the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Against the background of these and other numerous corruption scandals in the country's military, Zelensky's credibility is falling not only inside Ukraine, but also abroad. However, the EU has insured its expenses for the support of a neighboring country — assistance for Ukraine comes in the form of loans that Kiev will one day have to repay.

During the preparation of the material, Izvestia interviewed:

• Bogdan Bezpalko, a political scientist and member of the Presidential Council on Interethnic Relations;
• political scientist, Deputy Director of the Institute of CIS Countries Vladimir Zharikhin.