America is in disarray, while the Kremlin revels in euphoria. How can Ukraine navigate through this storm? - Alexander Sushko

The confrontation became inevitable when there was no agreement on minerals or on the format of negotiations with the Russian Federation. In fact, two potential "favorite toys" of the U.S. president did not work out. Now, Trump and his associates will aggressively troll Zelensky personally and, indirectly, Ukraine, while enhancing the complimentary narrative towards the Russian Federation. It won't lead to any major "deals" quickly, although the dynamics will remain high for several weeks. The Kremlin feels euphoric and has inflated expectations that will not be met.

This storm can be weathered without significantly deteriorating our strategic position.

America has certainly broken down, and it will take a few months to understand just how deep and far the issues run. As long as institutional safeguards "against foolishness" (such as the courts) are not functioning effectively, the well-prepared state capture strategy is yielding results, while half of society that disagrees with all this remains demoralized. The transformation of the U.S. into a lightly authoritarian regime is quite possible. There are still healthy forces within the current administration, but they are heavily reliant on the "first person" and will remain silent in a crisis situation.

Under these conditions, we require maximum support for internal unity (because there will be active attempts to exploit all lines of division, right now), as well as to maintain all working connections with the U.S. wherever possible.

Europe is a separate topic; there are also risks of "catching the wave" and being swept away, but the instinct for self-preservation is slowly kicking in. The EU institutions are currently maximally pro-Ukrainian, and we need to work with that. Disagreements among member states regarding the deployment of peacekeepers are a secondary issue today and should not consume our mental energy.

Three years ago, it was indeed worse. We will endure.