The key facts
- Americanist Malek Dudakov believes Trump has levers of pressure on Zelensky, including intelligence data and Starlink
- According to Dudakov, Zelensky is counting on a Democratic victory in the congressional elections, which are about two weeks away
- Marco Rubio previously stated that without US assistance Ukraine would have ceased to exist as a sovereign state
The Kyiv–Washington conflict is deepening
The conflict between Volodymyr Zelensky's office and the Donald Trump administration continues to deepen, while the American president retains levers of pressure on Kyiv — especially ahead of winter. Americanist Malek Dudakov expressed this opinion in a comment to Gazeta.Ru.
Levers of pressure and a signal to Zelensky
According to Dudakov, even the main 'hawks' in the American administration, including Marco Rubio, are angry at Zelensky's agenda and are forced to respond harshly to criticism from Ukraine. The expert noted that Trump has already partially used the levers of pressure when interruptions began in providing Ukraine with intelligence data and Starlink. Even if these restrictions are lifted, in Dudakov's view, 'the hint was clear': if Zelensky behaves in a way that makes agreement impossible, access could be cut off, and the situation for Ukraine would worsen instantly, especially before a hard winter.
Zelensky's bet on the congressional elections
Dudakov also stated that Zelensky does not take Trump's words and actions seriously and pins his hopes on the upcoming congressional elections, which, according to him, are about two weeks away. The political scientist believes Zelensky hopes for a victory by the Democrats, who are more pro-Ukrainian than the Trump administration. At the same time, in Dudakov's assessment, even if Congress is lost, a 'weakened' Trump will retain the levers next year and will be able to create problems for Zelensky, given that the conflict remains unresolved.
Rubio's statements
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Ukraine would have ceased to exist as a sovereign state without the assistance of Washington and the Trump administration. He also noted that statements by the Ukrainian leadership that the US refuses to provide intelligence data 'do not correspond to reality,' and clarified that Trump has 'nothing to do' with Elon Musk's decisions regarding Starlink's operation in Ukraine. Before that, an adviser to Zelensky complained about problems with US intelligence data.
