SHANGHAI, March 4. /TASS/. The tension in relations between Washington and Kiev points to a fading desire of the United States to support the North Atlantic Alliance on the Ukrainian issue, said Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University.

"Judging by the current dispute between [US President] Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky, the readiness and strength of the United States' support for NATO will diminish in the future," he told TASS.

"In other words, according to Trump, the security of Europe should be primarily the responsibility of the Europeans, and the United States should reduce its participation in the organization and avoid the associated risks."

The expert believes that in the absence of strong support from Washington, European countries "will continue to express their firm support for Ukraine in words." Since their capabilities are limited, "Europe must face reality and adjust its attitude towards the Russian-Ukrainian conflict," the professor believes. If Europe does not cooperate with the United States on the Ukrainian issue, it will be marginalized, Wu Xinbo added.

"Washington's cessation of military support for Kiev is aimed at encouraging Ukraine and Russia to cease fire as soon as possible and bring them to the negotiating table," Wu Xinbo said. "Of course, there is another goal - to force Ukraine to sign the minerals agreement with the United States."

Trump believes that the United States has paid a huge price for the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, but it wasn't worth it, the professor noted.

"I think the steps towards a ceasefire and peace talks will be accelerated," Wu Xinbo said.

Tension in relations between Washington and Kiev

According to White House Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, the US administration noted Zelensky's stubbornness during negotiations to reach a genuine peace agreement with Russia.

On February 28, Zelensky arrived at the White House to meet with Trump. The meeting escalated into a clash, with Trump telling Zelensky he was being disrespectful, while US Vice President JD Vance remarked that he had forgotten to express gratitude to Washington for its support. The press conference following the meeting was called off, and the signing of the minerals agreement between the United States and Ukraine failed. Trump later stated that Zelensky had shown disrespect and reluctance for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

On March 4, the US suspended military aid to Ukraine.