Ukraine 'walks on tightrope' to avoid 'storm'

But the trip, which was supposed to be a golden opportunity for Ukraine to polish its relations with its biggest backer, unexpectedly turned into an unwilling “tightrope walking” diplomatic performance by Zelenskiy.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Photo Reuters

Unexpected trouble

According to the British news agency Reuters, on the eve of his first meeting with White House owner Donald Trump, Ukrainian leader Zelenskiy has been caught up in a political storm that has been stirring up Washington in recent days.

Controversy arose over allegations that Mr. Trump pressured Mr. Zelenskiy to open an investigation into the son of former US Vice President Joe Biden - Trump's number 1 Democratic rival in the upcoming election.

From Zelenskiy's perspective, this "wet-foot, wet-foot" leader clearly cannot risk his relationship with either of the two "factions" in Washington politics, because in reality, Ukraine depends on the support of the Democratic and Republican bipartisans of the United States to get aid and diplomatic support to deal with Russia since Moscow's annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014.

This September, US lawmakers expressed suspicion that their president was trying to temporarily withhold $250 million in military aid to Ukraine, approved by the US Congress, to use it as a “tool” to pressure Mr. Zelenskiy. Earlier this week, the owner of the Oval Office denied this information, but things did not stop “making waves” because of that.

US President Donald Trump is accused of withholding military aid to Ukraine to pressure the country. Photo AP

After receiving information from the media that President Trump in a July phone call asked the Ukrainian President to launch an investigation that could harm Biden, the Zelenskiy administration has clearly expressed its desire to stay away from the "fire line". Officials of this country have denied that Mr. Trump pressured Mr. Zelenskiy, but have not provided further details about the two-month-old phone call that the media is raising countless questions about, on the grounds that such conversations need to be kept confidential.

“Why should we react in any way? There was a conversation with the US president. Period. Any attempts by one party or another to use Ukraine are clearly detrimental to our relations,” Oleksandr Danylyuk, the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, told reporters by phone on September 23.

Keep a safe distance

A former comedian and, like Trump, a TV star with no political experience when he took office, Zelenskiy was the name that was called out in Ukraine’s landslide election victory in April. The new leader promised voters that he would put an end to the conflict between Ukraine and Russian-backed forces in the Donbass region, which has so far claimed the lives of 13,000 people.

With the desire to continue the “momentum” from the recent prisoner exchange with Russia to be able to reach an agreement to organize negotiations with President Vladimir Putin in the coming weeks on the Donbass issue, it can be said that Zelenskiy is “unlucky”, or in other words, the scandal in Washington takes place at a very sensitive time, when he needs the help of the United States more than ever.

The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, USA, photo taken on September 23. Photo Reuters

In fact, before taking the “hot seat”, Zelenskiy was warned early about what awaited him, when Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph Giuliani announced in May that he would visit Ukraine, but then abruptly canceled the visit.

According to Reuters, Giuliani was the one who called on Ukraine to investigate the activities of Vice President Biden and his son, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company when Biden was in office under Obama. Serhiy Leshchenko, a former Ukrainian lawmaker who advised Zelenskiy during his campaign, recalled the current president's reluctance to meet Giuliani at that time: "I think he understood that it was an attempt to bring him into a bipartisan fight in the United States. He simply did not want to be used by either side. He is generally a smart guy, I think he is very wise and understands that it is better for him to stay out of this mess. Because if he supports one side, the other side will be angry."

Giuliani canceled the visit at the time, claiming that Zelenskiy was surrounded by Trump’s enemies. He singled out Leshchenko, who in August 2016 revealed details of payments from a former Ukrainian president to Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort during the US election. Giuliani claimed the evidence was fake, while Leshchenko denied it. Anticipating the severity of the problem, Leshchenko said he would withdraw from the advisory role, hoping not to damage Zelenskiy’s relationship with Washington.

After Giuliani canceled his visit to Kiev, Andriy Yermak, an aide to Zelenskiy, sought to meet Giuliani on his “own initiative.” Earlier this week, the Ukrainian news channel lb.ua quoted him as saying he had told Giuliani that any investigation would have to be transparent. “We can guarantee that during our tenure any investigation will be conducted in a transparent manner. These are the basic principles and the basis of President Zelenskiy’s program, which we campaigned on.”

In the face of recent troubles, US President Trump has accused the Democrats of launching a “witch hunt” against him, but he has yet to provide evidence that the accusations against him are politically motivated. The media is still reporting heavily on the July phone call, and the meeting between Trump and Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly is certainly not immune to the spotlight, and will even be a topic of discussion in the coming time.

Ukrainian President Zelenskiy expressed hope for a “meaningful, substantive” meeting with US President Trump on September 24, saying Kiev needed Washington’s support. He added that he hoped for an early meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany on the conflict in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.