«Our duty is to build a new system of collective defence»: Mykola Panchenko, head of the budget commission, after the White House scandal

Fedir Panchenko. Archival photo: «_nikvesti»

Fedir Panchenko, a deputy and chairman of the planning and budgeting commission of the Mykolaiv City Council, believes that Ukraine no longer has such a permanent ally as the United States and that it needs to build a new system of collective defence.

He wrote about this on his Facebook page after the argument between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States at the White House on 28 February.

«It's absolute nonsense when a country with which no one fought at all demands reparations from the state. Moreover, until recently, this country has positioned itself as Ukraine's largest and most consistent partner and ally. This is a new reality and a clear signal not only for our country but also for all European countries: there is no longer such a constant ally as the United States. Today they have one opinion, tomorrow they have another, and it is probably frivolous to hope for this. Therefore, it is our duty, and we have no choice but to build a new system of collective defence that will not depend on outside players. For us, this is a matter of survival, and the question of our unity is now being presented in the following way: we have two options — either unity or death. Now international politics works according to the following rules: either you are strong or you do not exist», he said.

Dispute in the Oval Office

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As a reminder, the meeting between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, 28 February, was ended early. The conversation between Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance in the White House turned heated.

According to CNN sources, after the public part of the conversation between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy ended, the American president and his advisers went into a separate room. It was then that Donald Trump finally decided that Volodymyr Zelenskyy «was not in the right place to negotiate», and instructed Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz to convey the message that the Ukrainian president should leave.

In turn, after the failure to sign the US subsoil deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the United States, President Trump and Congress.

In an interview with Fox News, Volodymyr Zelenskyy also said that such disputes are not good for both sides, but the President of Ukraine cannot «change our Ukrainian attitude towards the Russians» and does not want them to continue killing Ukrainians.

A number of European leaders, as well as American politicians, have expressed support for Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed Ukrainians and Zelensky on the social media platform X with the following words: «Dear Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Ukrainian friends, you are not alone».

French President Emmanuel Macron also said that Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is a state that has been aggressed. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also expressed support for Kyiv, writing: «Ukraine, Spain is with you». President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen addressed Volodymyr with the following words: «Be strong, be brave, be fearless».

Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych said after the argument in the White House that it was time for Europe to unite around Ukraine and strengthen its defence without illusions about «Big Brother».

In turn, the leader of the «Servant of the People» faction, David Arakhamia , supported President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the dispute at the White House and stressed that the head of state wanted to put an end to the war.