US ‘destroying’ world order, warns Ukrainian ambassador

The United States is “destroying” the international rules-based order by trying to meet Russia “halfway”, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK has warned.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi told a conference at the Chatham House think tank that recent steps by Washington towards Moscow were “a huge challenge”, warning Nato could collapse and Europe could become Russian President Vladimir Putin’s next target.

He said: “We see that it is not just the axis of evil and Russia trying to revise the world order, but the US is finally destroying this order.”

Mr Zaluzhnyi, who took over as Kyiv’s ambassador to London in 2024 following three years as commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, also warned that the White House had “questioned the unity of the whole Western world” and suggested Nato could cease to exist as a result.

His comments come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attempts to repair relations with US President Donald Trump following a dramatic row between the two men in the Oval Office last week.

On Tuesday, Mr Trump signalled that tensions could be easing, telling Congress he had received a letter from Mr Zelensky saying he was ready to sign a peace deal “at any time”.

But on the same day, the US president ordered a sudden freeze on shipments of US military aid to Ukraine and Washington has since paused intelligence sharing with Kyiv and halted cyber operations against Russia.

Mr Zaluzhnyi said the pause in cyber operations and an earlier decision by the US to oppose a UN resolution condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine were “a huge challenge for the entire world”.

He added that talks between the US and Russia – “headed by a war criminal” – showed the White House “makes steps towards the Kremlin, trying to meet them halfway”, warning Moscow’s next target “could be Europe”.