Zaluzhnji: The US is destroying the world order

The United States (US) is "destroying" the established world order, said Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, the BBC reports.

Criticizing the way the new administration of United States President (US) Donald Trump is conducting foreign policy, Zaluzhny said that the White House has "called into question the unity of the entire Western world."

The BBC reports that his comments come as tensions appear to be easing between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his US counterpart Donald Trump, following a public spat between the two leaders in the Oval Office on Friday.

Kiev has tried to repair relations with Washington in recent days, after the US paused military aid to Ukraine and suspended intelligence sharing in an attempt to bring Zelensky to the negotiating table.

However, Zaluzhny's statements at a conference at Chatham House in London suggest that dissatisfaction with US actions persists, according to the BBC.

Addressing the audience, he said: "We see that it is not only the axis of evil and Russia that are trying to revise the world order, but the US is finally destroying it."

The Ukrainian envoy added that talks between the US and Russia - whose president, Vladimir Putin, he said, is a "war criminal" - show that the White House is "taking steps towards the Kremlin, trying to meet it."

Zaluzhny, who took over as ambassador to London in 2024 after three years as commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, also suggested that NATO could cease to exist as a result of the change in the US stance, warning that Moscow could target Europe next.

While Zelensky expresses a desire to end the war in Ukraine as soon as possible, Kiev is concerned about the way the Trump administration is conducting negotiations and possible concessions from Moscow without adequate security guarantees for Ukraine, according to the BBC.

Trump promised during the election campaign to quickly end the war in Ukraine, and a US delegation met with a Russian delegation last month for preliminary talks in Saudi Arabia - without the presence of European or Ukrainian representatives.

Trump administration officials are justifying the US decision to halt aid to Ukraine as a way to force Kiev to cooperate in US-led negotiations.

Zaluzhny also pointed out that the pause in intelligence sharing, as well as the US's earlier decision to oppose a UN resolution condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine, are "a huge challenge for the entire world."

His comments come as Brussels-based website Politico reports that members of Trump's team have spoken with some of Zelensky's political opponents, after Trump allies suggested the Ukrainian president should step down.

Citing unnamed sources from the US and Ukraine, the report said the talks were held with opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko and senior members of the party of Petro Poroshenko, who was president before Zelensky.

Independent polls in Ukraine show that Zaluzhny currently enjoys the highest public support with at least 70 percent, while Zelensky has 57 percent and Poroshenko around 20 percent.

Tymoshenko and Poroshenko have their own political priorities, but they share a pro-European stance, according to the BBC.

Responding to the report, Tymoshenko said her team was talking "with all allies who can help ensure a just peace as soon as possible," but noted that elections could not be held while Ukraine was under a state of emergency.

Poroshenko stressed in a lengthy statement that his party was "publicly and transparently" cooperating with the US and that the meetings were focused on supporting Ukraine's war effort.

Although he criticized Zelensky for his political decisions and communication with Washington, Poroshenko also stressed that elections can only be held after a ceasefire is signed.

Although Politico suggests that the Trump administration may be looking for an alternative to Zelensky, meetings with his political opponents have reportedly been ongoing for a long time and predate both the war and the recent cooling of relations with the US.