US Continues to Throw Ukraine under the Bus

You may have thought that writing that President Donald Trump is anti-Ukraine was harsh, but the White House isn’t trying to walk back that impression.

In addition to official audible derogatory Oval Office comments about Ukraine’s defense efforts against Russian aggression, the White House now is seeking to slam NATO’s door shut in Kyiv’s face. The campaign began soon after the Trump Administration took office in 2024.

According to sources, the United States is pressuring its allies not to invite Ukraine to formal meetings at the alliance’s summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7-8, Politico and Kyiv Independent reported citing four Alliance diplomats. If successful, the move would limit Kyiv’s role at the meeting of free world leaders. And it would delight Moscow.

Diplomats cited by Politico said indirect pressure from the US likely played a role in the decision.

According to them, the US also opposes the invitation of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea. The five countries may instead be allowed to take part in lower-level side events. A NATO spokesperson did not deny the reporting in comments to the Kyiv Independent.

NATO also reportedly plans to scrap its traditional public forum — a parallel platform that typically brings together leaders, defense experts, and officials for panel discussions.

One diplomat described the move to the outlet as “very harmful,” warning it could weaken efforts to build public support for NATO's activities and increased defense spending.

The summit in Ankara will mark the second time Turkey hosts NATO leaders.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has attended every NATO summit since the start of Russia’s all-out war, joining in person in 2023 in Vilnius, 2024 in Washington, and 2025 in The Hague, and virtually in 2022.

In 2025, Zelenskyy was not invited to the main leaders’ session. During his visit to The Hague, he held talks with Trump and other top officials. Certainly, the “Coalition of the Willing” will not surrender to Trump’s bullying.

Free world countries consisting of old and new members of the North Atlantic alliance would benefit from a report by the President of Ukraine about his country’s war effort and his view of the future. Zelenskyy demonstrated his vision of the future of peaceful, democratic nations during his Davos and Munich Security Conference addresses.

After all, NATO was created in 1949 as a bulwark against Russian – then Soviet – aggression and expansionism. Today, Ukraine is the only nation-state on earth to stand up to Russia and shed its best sons and daughters’ blood in defense of Europe. America’s insistence that Zelenskyy not be invited is merely Trump’s anti-Ukrainian spitefulness and kowtowing to the Kremlin’s designs.