After the scandal with Washington Ukrainians expect a Plan B

Russia plays chess, the USA plays cards, Ukraine plays Risk - but what role does Europe play? After the scandal in the White House , Ukrainians are asking themselves exactly this question. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are looking for the answer both for the Ukrainians and for Europe itself.

The West is "at a historic crossroads" and "the time has come to act" - with these words the British head of government summed up the summit of heads of state and government on March 2 in London, which was attended by representatives from 18 countries.

In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Ukrainian political scientist Marija Solkina commented on Macron's proposed plan for a month-long ceasefire: "This idea is more about calming emotions in Washington, because we need to show Donald Trump that Europe is ready to take responsibility. This will not change the course of the war, but it shows that Europe is capable of taking action." According to Solkina, the initiative could be a step towards restoring damaged contacts between Ukraine and the United States.

Many Ukrainians followed the scandal in the Oval Office live, because not only Ukrainian politicians but also ordinary citizens had high hopes for this meeting with the US President. Shock and outrage at the rhetoric of the American partners were and remain the dominant reactions of Ukrainians to what they saw.

wave of solidarity

The broad solidarity of Ukrainians with Zelensky began two weeks earlier, after the first attacks by Donald Trump, who called him a "dictator ." The verbal exchange in the White House further strengthened the wave of solidarity with Zelensky among the population.

However, Ukrainians are not uniting around Zelensky as a person, but around the flag and the institutions of the state. The critical majority of Ukrainians perceived the attempts by Trump and his vice president JD Vance to publicly humiliate Zelensky as a personal insult - especially since they saw the Americans' attacks as a reflection of Russian propaganda.

"I did not vote for Zelensky and will not vote for him after the war, but I fully support him and his position in this situation. He defends the interests of Ukraine with dignity," says Nataliya Chala, a pensioner from Kyiv.

Support for Zelensky was also heard from the constructive Ukrainian opposition: "It was painful for me to watch the dispute in the Oval Office. I have no illusions about the position of the new US administration. But government, especially in times of war, requires state-supporting decisions, a cool head and less emotions," commented Iryna Heraschtschenko, a member of parliament from the party of former president and sharp Zelensky critic Petro Poroshenko.

Restore relationships

She calls on Zelensky's team to present the Ukrainians with a plan B in case Ukraine is left without military and financial support from the US. Herashchenko also calls for efforts to restore relations between Kyiv and Washington, which she considers critical for Ukraine.

The first to feel the impact of a possible halt in US aid are the Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines: the shutdown of the US Starlink satellite system would cut them off from communications, the lack of intelligence would complicate operations, and the lack of ammunition would lead to higher casualties.

"Zelensky did everything right, in this scandal he also defended the honor of Ukrainian soldiers. But now it will be very difficult for us. Possibly more difficult than ever before," suspects soldier Anton N., who took part in the fighting for Avdiivka in the Donetsk region during the six-month freeze on US military aid in 2023.

Ukrainians are finding it increasingly difficult to keep morale high and counter a decline in fighting spirit, as they have no clarity about what a Plan B might look like or what prospects there are for ending the war. At the same time, they continue to rule out the possibility of surrender and place high hopes in Europe's willingness to protect both Ukraine and itself.