Zelensky’s “Stockholm syndrome” and the takeaways from the Rubio–Lavrov meeting

Donald Trump’s abrupt alteration of stance connected the warfare successful Ukraine has rattled Kyiv much than Moscow. Twenty-four hours aft his melodramatic turn, the U.S. president shows nary motion of pursuing up his words with factual enactment — economical sanctions, subject aid, oregon diplomatic pressure.

Meanwhile, the gathering betwixt U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov successful a New York edifice lasted little than an hour. That brevity, analysts note, suggests 2 things: the Kremlin is not alarmed by Trump’s comments and sees nary request for deeper negotiations, portion Washington is besides reluctant — astatine slightest for present — to propulsion further.

Kremlin Signals and Trump’s Calculations

Moscow’s effect — couched successful carnal metaphors (“we are bears, not tigers”) — underlined its single, accordant line: the warfare successful Ukraine remains non-negotiable. The U.S. position, by contrast, has shifted repeatedly for reasons known lone to the president himself.

Since the mid-August Trump–Putin gathering successful Anchorage, Alaska, diplomacy and warring alike person intensified. Yet Trump’s latest determination has near adjacent seasoned diplomats struggling to construe it. Many judge the astonishment was aimed arsenic overmuch astatine home and allied audiences arsenic astatine Vladimir Putin.

For now, the deficiency of follow-up makes Trump’s pivot look little similar a strategical propulsion and much similar a measurement backmost from nonstop U.S. involvement. Still, observers observe successful his remarks a tendency to unit Moscow — not retired of interest for planetary instrumentality oregon civilian suffering, but from idiosyncratic grievance. As 1 expert enactment it, Trump’s connection boiled down to: “Putin has disappointed me.”

Zelensky Pushes Back

If Trump hoped to unsettle Ukraine’s leadership, President Volodymyr Zelensky showed nary motion of slowing down. From the UN stage, helium doubled down connected appeals for planetary support, repeatedly stressing that Ukraine is “the archetypal enactment of defense” betwixt Moscow’s ambitions and the remainder of Europe.

Zelensky besides borrowed a leafage from Trump’s ain playbook: salesmanship. In a seven-minute agelong of his speech, helium promoted Ukraine’s booming drone industry, framing it arsenic a awesome of resilience and openly courting overseas investors. The show drew some praise for boldness and disapproval from Western commentators — immoderate adjacent suggesting, half-jokingly, that the Ukrainian person showed signs of “Stockholm syndrome” successful adopting Trump’s style.

What Comes Next

Trump’s unpredictability has made him a known quantity — often successful his astir combative signifier — adjacent to those helium present claims to support. For Ukraine, Zelensky’s quality to accommodate has go his defining trait. Nearly 4 years into Russia’s invasion, helium has evolved into what immoderate telephone a governmental chameleon: battered by circumstances, but inactive uncovering caller ways to support Kyiv astatine the halfway of planetary attention.