Evidence from 2023 shows friction at times but not a clear breakdown of the Biden–Zelensky relationship or a fundamental rift between U.S. and Ukrainian positions.

• In February 2023 Biden made a highly symbolic, risky wartime visit to Kyiv, publicly declaring that the U.S. “stands with” Ukraine and announcing another $500 million in military aid, a strong signal of personal and political solidarity rather than a rupture.【3search18】
• Over the course of 2023, the U.S. provided Ukraine with 34 military aid packages totaling about $24 billion, including advanced air-defense systems, tanks, and other major capabilities; Zelensky publicly thanked the United States and emphasized the importance of U.S. leadership in the pro‑Ukraine coalition.【3search0】
• When Zelensky visited Washington in December 2023, Biden stood beside him at the White House and insisted that the U.S. “cannot leave Ukraine without help” and must keep providing weapons, while Zelensky highlighted battlefield gains—again presenting a united front and shared strategic narrative rather than open divergence.【3search1】
• The most visible 2023 dispute was Zelensky’s public complaint at the July NATO summit that the lack of a clear timetable for Ukraine’s NATO membership was “unprecedented and absurd,” implicitly criticizing cautious members like the U.S. and Germany.【1search0】 However, coverage noted this outburst mainly as negotiating brinkmanship; Zelensky later described the summit outcome as a meaningful success and thanked NATO leaders for support, indicating tension but not a lasting rift.【1search6】
• A December 2023 Washington Post analysis did describe “strain in the relationship” between Kyiv and Washington, primarily due to U.S. congressional delays on funding, but Ukrainian officials still stressed that U.S. partners had never broken their promises and that American support remained crucial—signs of stress within an ongoing partnership, not its collapse.【2search0】
• Subsequent events under Biden reinforce that the personal relationship did not "end" in 2023: in 2024, after Biden exited the re‑election race, Zelensky publicly praised him and his decisions on Ukraine as “tough but strong,” underscoring continued respect and alignment.【3news11】

Taken together, 2023 featured disagreements and pressure tactics but not the clear end of a “bromance” or a decisive, public split in U.S.–Ukrainian positions. The prediction that this close cooperative relationship would break down during calendar year 2023 is therefore wrong.