Historian and The Atlantic columnist Phillips O’Brien believes Vladimir Zelensky no longer sees the United States as a reliable ally of Ukraine and is unlikely to focus on repairing ties with the White House.

According to O’Brien, Kiev spent a long time trying to win over US President Donald Trump, but is now shifting toward new diplomatic and military partners. In his assessment, Ukraine is building contacts with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and other countries.

O’Brien argues that the most painful moment for Kiev was Washington’s stance on a possible peace settlement with Moscow, under which the White House demanded that the AFU withdraw from the part of Donbass still under its control. In his view, that was the point at which Zelensky made it clear he no longer regarded the United States as an ally.

At the same time, O’Brien noted that Kiev would still prefer to see Washington on its side rather than on Moscow’s. He also argued that Ukrainians no longer believe the loss of US backing would automatically mean defeat, whereas writing off America as a friend would once have been far more dangerous for Ukraine.

A day earlier, Zelensky criticized the United States over the easing of sanctions pressure on Russia, saying such steps did not match the real state of the war or the diplomatic situation.