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Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s former armed forces chief and now ambassador to Britain, said overnight that the United States was “destroying” the current world order.
The popular general, who led Ukraine’s defence in the first two years of Moscow’s full-scale invasion, spoke as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought to mend fences with Washington after a fiery White House row with US President Donald Trump.
Zaluzhnyi said Ukraine had held onto its independence despite “animus and threats coming even from friends”.
His sharp remarks, made at London’s Chatham House think tank, came after Trump froze military aid and intelligence-sharing with Ukraine in moves to push Zelenskyy into peace talks with Russia, while refusing to offer Ukraine security guarantees.
“It’s obvious the White House has questioned the unity of the whole Western world,” Zaluzhnyi said, adding:
“Because we see that it’s not just the axis of evil and Russia trying to revise the world order, but the US is finally destroying this order.”
European leaders on Thursday said they would stand by Ukraine — and boost defence spending — to enable them to stand up to Russia. But the US has been a key backer, and its intelligence, equipment and financial support have been crucial for Ukraine
Zaluzhnyi is broadly popular in Ukraine and is seen as a potential challenger to Zelenskyy when Ukraine holds elections, although he has voiced no clear ambitions to run for office.
Elections are currently prohibited by the declaration of martial law after Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Zelenskyy replaced Zaluzhnyi as army chief last year following battlefield setbacks. Russian forces now hold about 20 per cent of Ukraine and have been gradually advancing in the country’s east.
Zaluzhnyi added that Ukraine should receive security guarantees and “should avoid the role of bargaining chip in any negotiations”.
Trump orders NATO members to pay up
Trump cast doubt on Thursday on his willingness to defend Washington’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, saying he would not do so if they are not paying enough for their own defence.
“It’s common sense, right,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “If they don’t pay, I’m not going to defend them. No, I’m not going to defend them.”
Trump said he has been of this view for years and shared it with NATO allies during his 2017-2021 presidential term. Those efforts prompted more spending from other members of the 75-year-old transatlantic alliance, he said, but “even now, it’s not enough.”
He added: “They should be paying more.”
A mutual assistance clause lies at the heart of the NATO alliance, which was formed in 1949 with the primary aim of countering the risk of a Soviet attack on allied territory.
