Kohv says Trump is advancing Putin’s narrative at Ukraine’s expense

US President Donald Trump’s recent decisions are harming Ukraine and echoing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s narratives, Marek Kohv, a researcher at the International Centre for Defence and Security, told ERR.

Kohv said Trump’s actions had helped Russia conduct information operations and could help it emerge from isolation. He said the reasons for the decisions were unclear, but suggested they might be linked to US domestic politics and the coming midterm elections.

He questioned whether the moves would affect the elections, noting that the impact of Trump’s diesel deal on global oil prices was considered practically negligible. American voters are generally not supporters of Putin, Kohv said, and about two-thirds support Ukraine. In his view, Trump appeared more willing to support Putin than Ukraine.

Kohv also defended Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement that he felt betrayed by Trump. He said Zelensky was drawing attention to the situation and acting to protect his country and its people. Allies could disagree, Kohv said, and Zelensky could not continue indefinitely trying to flatter Trump when that approach had not delivered results.

After senior US administration officials confronted Zelensky at the White House, he had continued trying to appease Trump. For nearly a year, it appeared that approach might work, Kohv said. But Trump’s decisions had continued to harm Ukraine and Europe, often following what Kohv described as constructive phone calls with Putin.

Kohv said Trump should consider the impact of the Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz on diesel prices, rather than blaming Ukraine. He suggested Trump was trying to shift blame for US involvement in Iran and divert domestic attention from the war.

He added that he knew of no case in which concessions had persuaded Russia to change its policy or come to the negotiating table. When Trump announced a ceasefire, ostensibly with both sides’ agreement, Russia struck Ukraine’s energy sector again minutes later, Kohv said. Ukraine then refrained from attacking Russian refineries for three days, while Russia continued its attacks. Ukraine eventually abandoned the restraint, he said.

Asked about restrictions on satellite communications and a Reuters report that the order had come from the White House, Kohv said it had long been known that Elon Musk owned the company and could implement such measures.