Brighton Beach, a Slavic enclave in Brooklyn where Ukrainians outnumber Russians two to one, voted overwhelmingly for President Trump.
But the day after Mr. Trump dressed down President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine in an explosive meeting at the White House — the latest show of Mr. Trump’s declining support for Ukraine — some Ukrainian New Yorkers were left feeling divided.
“His approach may come across a bit too aggressive,” Igor Moshchinsky, 61, said of Mr. Trump at a cafe on Brighton Beach Avenue on Saturday afternoon. But Mr. Moshchinsky, who voted for Mr. Trump, said “I don’t disagree with the content” of Mr. Trump’s criticisms of Mr. Zelensky.
The local city councilwoman, Inna Vernikov, a Republican and a Trump supporter, tried to thread a needle, writing on social media that the consequences of Friday’s meeting “could be disastrous” for both countries.
“Working together to end this war and help the people of Ukraine restore their safety and sovereignty is in the best interests of both of our countries and the world,” she said.
Inna Kir, 58 who owns a lingerie shop on Brighton Beach Avenue, said she “absolutely agrees” with the tough line Mr. Trump has taken against Mr. Zelensky. She echoed Mr. Trump’s criticism that Mr. Zelensky was insufficiently grateful for American aid.
“I think he should appreciate what people do for him,” said Ms. Kir, a United States citizen who arrived three decades ago. “It’s our money.”
She added: “I have faith in Trump’s ability to bring peace. When the money is not going to flow, the war is going to be over very soon.”
Igor Kozak, 59, who is from western Ukraine, and his wife Marina Kozak, 57, who is Russian, agreed that Mr. Zelensky had been “rude” and “disrespectful.”
Not all Ukrainian New Yorkers — there are about 150,000 of them — support Mr. Trump, of course.
And in another Ukrainian pocket in the East Village of Manhattan, critics of Mr. Trump were aghast at his attack.
“I’ve never been so disgusted with the president of this country,” said Ivan Makar, 52, the principal of the Self-Reliance Saturday School of Ukrainian Studies on East Sixth Street. Mr. Makar, who lives in Westchester County north of the city, said his family had fled Ukraine seeking security. The meeting on Friday left him furious and devastated, he said.
“It was typical bully behavior, and Zelensky stood up to the bullies,” Mr. Makar said. “As a Ukrainian, I’m proud. As an American, I’m disgusted.”
Jason Birchard, 58, the owner of the Ukrainian restaurant Veselka in the East Village, stood inside the restaurant on Saturday wearing a T-shirt embossed with the tryzub, Ukraine’s national symbol.
“I’ve worn this shirt many times over the last three years, and I made sure to dig deep into the closet today and pull it out because I really want to back Zelensky,” Mr. Birchard said, as a line streamed around the block at his restaurant.
Mr. Birchard said the restaurant had seen a surge in customers amid the news.
“I’m a Ukrainian American, and I try to stay positive and optimistic,” he said. “There is the false narrative that Ukraine invaded Russia. We have to understand that Ukraine has been an independent democratic state for more than 30 years, and that we need to draw the line here.”
In Brooklyn, on a sunny corner off Brighton Beach Avenue, Ilia Makarov, 20, vented similar frustrations as the Q train clattered overhead.
Mr. Makarov, a computer science student who came to Brighton Beach from Ukraine five years ago, said he found it “unimaginable” that the United States might now back Russia in the war.
“Usually when you think about the U.S. it is as peacemakers,” Mr. Makarov said. “Now they support literally the terrorists.”