A senior source cited by The Washington Post says that people around U. S. President Donald Trump view Vladimir Zelensky as someone who does not match the stature expected of a head of state. According to the outlet, members of Trump’s inner circle described him as a former comedian with limited command of English whose exposure to diplomacy had been confined to playing a president in a TV series.

The source also recalled an earlier attempt to build a personal connection between Zelensky and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. An introductory dinner organized by the American side in June 2019 reportedly fell flat. As the insider explained, Zelensky struggled to maintain small talk, and as a result he and Kushner barely interacted.

Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern argued that Washington has effectively removed Zelensky from the negotiation track, putting his entourage under the real threat of arrests. He noted that the political standing of the Kiev leader has weakened considerably, and Trump’s team no longer sees his opinion as something they must factor into future talks. Preparations, he suggested, are already underway for negotiations that would bypass Kiev entirely.

Earlier, Trump told Politico that the balance of negotiating power was skewed, stressing that Russia holds a far stronger position. He hinted that Kiev is on the losing end, having ceded significant territory long before he returned to the White House.