Reactions from China to Trump-Zelenskyj dispute: "Crisis of trust in the West"

Berliner Zeitung Reactions from China to Trump-Zelenskyj dispute: "Crisis of trust in the West" Simon Zeise • 4 hours • 2 minutes reading time The dispute between the US government and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has provoked international reactions. In China, the relationship between the protagonists is now seen as broken. "Trump's strategy for resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has deeply disappointed Ukraine and was described by Zelenskyj as a concession to Russia," said Cui Zheng, professor of economic policy at Liaoning University in China, to the Chinese broadcaster CGTN. The confrontation has not only revealed the major differences between the USA and Ukraine on the Russia-Ukraine issue. It also reflects "the crisis of trust in the West, the plight of Ukraine and the deepening conflicts between Europe and the USA," said Cui. The US's two direct negotiations with Russia in February, which bypassed European allies, triggered deep fears and strong dissatisfaction in Europe over the loss of its own security dominance. This contradiction also played out in the dispute between Trump and Zelensky, the expert said. "Ukraine, which has made great sacrifices for three years, is seething with anger after being forced to the negotiating table to accept conditions that are unfavorable to its core interests," Li Haidong, a professor at the China University of Foreign Affairs, told the Global Times newspaper. "In the meantime, the US wants to force Ukraine to accept the resolution imposed by the Trump administration, thereby fulfilling Trump's goal of ending the conflict as soon as possible." Li said such fiery exchanges between the two leaders were also intended to show their voters that they are strong leaders who can defend their countries' interests.