Ukraine has just opened a new front against Russia – trying to win over Trump

World leaders have rushed to get in Donald Trump’s good graces since he was elected president of the United States, but no other country has tried as hard as Ukraine.

In his annual New Year’s address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had “no doubt that the new American president is willing and able to achieve peace and end Putin’s aggression,” in comments that embody his approach. to win over Trump.

A few days later, Zelensky told an American podcaster that Trump won because he was a “much stronger” candidate than Kamala Harris, adding: “He showed that he can do it intellectually and physically.”

Zelensky is not alone among prominent Ukrainians trying to give Trump a hard time. In November, a Ukrainian deputy from Zelensky’s party even nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to a letter seen by the Kyiv Independent.

These tactics have long been favored by foreign powers. Just think about the way China took Trump to the Forbidden City or how the UK government recruited royalty during its last term in the White House.

This is not an entirely new approach for Ukraine either. In what a 2019 CNN op-ed called a “textbook suck,” Zelensky could be heard hailing Trump as a “great teacher” in the notorious connection in which the then-first-term president urged Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter.

Years later, the risks could not be greater for Ukraine. Kiev enters 2025 at a disadvantage in the war against Russia, with Ukrainian forces struggling to contain Russian advances in the East, where they are heavily outnumbered. Their chances of retaking occupied Russian territory soon appear increasingly slim.

During outgoing President Biden’s term, the US became the largest provider of military assistance to Ukraine and Kiev continues to be aware that it needs to side with Trump to secure future support.

Peace through strength

“Unfortunately, Zelensky cannot afford to be hostile towards Trump,” Joanna Hosa, a fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, tells CNN.

“He should at least try to get it on Ukraine’s side to ensure the best possible outcome for Ukraine, which depends enormously on American support.”

Trump has repeatedly emphasized the need to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, suggesting that negotiations may be on the horizon. Your envoy’s plan to end the war contains much that will please the Kremlin.

Zelensky has said he wants to “work directly” with the new president and appears more willing — or perhaps has no other choice — to make concessions on the battlefield.

“Of course, Ukraine would like to get back all the land it lost. However, after three years of this grueling war, the reconquest of all lands is not in sight. With a heavy heart, Ukrainians are slowly coming to terms with this”, highlights Hosa.

Zelensky has frequently described Trump as strong, an apparent effort to appeal to a president-elect who has made “peace through strength” an appeal.

“Trump could be crucial. I think this is the most important thing for us. His qualities are like that. He could be decisive in this war. He can stop Putin,” Zelensky told United News, Ukraine’s wartime television network, earlier this month.

Orysia Lutsevych, deputy director of the Russia and Eurasia Program at London-based think tank Chatham House, believes Zelensky’s praise can be considered sincere. “I think he genuinely believes that Trump can make bold moves, and that’s where that hope comes from, and not just in Zelensky’s mind, but in Ukraine more broadly,” he tells CNN.

Alignment of interests

Another factor is that, unlike previous American administrations, Trump fundamentally believes he can have good relations with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. He has long expressed his admiration for Putin, while other world leaders avoided him, and promised to meet with him “very quickly” after his inauguration.

For his part, Putin – who was condemned as a “butcher” by Biden – appears open to establishing ties with Trump. After Trump’s election victory, Putin congratulated him, calling him a “courageous man.” During his year-end press conference in December, he said he was ready to meet with the next president.

Even if Russia is brought to the negotiating table, there is reason to believe that its word cannot be trusted. As Nick Paton Walsh, CNN’s international security correspondent, points out, Moscow’s previous peace promises in Ukraine have been mischaracterized, suggesting that any potential ceasefire may be in name only.

Lutsevych believes that the Ukrainian government is trying to present Kiev’s defeat over Moscow as something that would reinforce the United States’ “power projection” on the world stage.

“This is the game; Whether Trump will believe this is a viable strategy is another question”, he notes.

And Zelensky offered other benefits. In October last year, he floated the idea of ​​swapping some European-based US forces for Ukrainian troops when Russia’s war in Ukraine ends. He argued that the war experience of Kiev’s forces could be put to good use, strengthening NATO – the military alliance that Ukraine is guaranteed to join – and helping to guarantee security in Europe, something that would probably please a leader of the USA that demanded that Europe do more for defense.

Zelensky also appealed to Trump’s entrepreneurial spirit. His so-called “Victory Plan”, unveiled in October last year, includes a significant agreement with the US on minerals – a critical resource in which Ukraine is rich.

According to a report by The New York Times, the signing of the mineral agreement was delayed twice, with the possible reason to allow Trump to take the credit when he took office.

Lutsevych claims that Kiev would be making a lucrative offer to the US, in economic terms. “We saw that this ‘Vitória Plan’ includes essential minerals, it includes investments… [a Ucrânia está] basically trying to say that it can be profitable for the United States.”

But while flattering Trump is a common tactic, its unpredictability means there is little guarantee it will work.

Trump’s welcome by then-British monarch Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 didn’t stop him from firing off a series of angry tweets moments before exiting the plane, describing London Mayor Sadiq Khan as a “cold loser.” like stone.” He then branded then-British Prime Minister Theresa May a “fool.”

Hosa believes there is evidence that Zelensky’s approach is bearing fruit, with Trump acknowledging it would take more than 24 hours to end the conflict – a claim he made in July 2024 – in a sign of changing attitudes.

“He [Zelensky] faced a choice: suck up to Trump or be forced to capitulate to Putin,” adds Hosa.

“Flattery is a small price to pay for a better result than this.”

CNN’s Tim Lister and Daria Tarasova-Markina contributed to this report