U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on during a meeting in New York on September 25, 2019, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

Ukraine's president has found himself to be the unlikely recipient of global media attention following a phone call with President Trump that has set in motion an impeachment inquiry. While attention might rest on the possible consequences of an inquiry on Trump, the episode has also proven embarrassing and potentially damaging for Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky who will now need to repair some bridges with the country's allies, analysts say. Zelensky came under international scrutiny following a furore over a phone call with President Trump in July in which the U.S. president appeared to ask Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a potential Democratic rival in the 2020 presidential race, and his son Hunter Biden who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. Zelensky repeatedly flatters the U.S. president, telling him that Ukraine will work on the investigation. Trump denies any wrongdoing and authorized a transcript of the call to be released last week. In the transcript, one that is not a verbatim record, Trump asks Ukraine's Zelensky to "look into" why the country's top prosecutor had apparently ended an investigation into the business dealings of Hunter Biden, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. It's alleged that Trump pressured Ukraine for information that could help to smear his Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and damage his chances in the 2020 election race. Ahead of the call, Trump ordered a hold on the release of $400 million in military aid to Ukraine although the president has denied any suggestions that the withholding of aid was to pressure Ukraine.

Damage control

Back home in Ukraine, Zelensky's performance during the call has divided opinion. For some, his fawning tone with Trump was forgivable as it likely reflected how a lot of national leaders —especially those in a suppliant position like Ukraine's — talk to Trump. For others, Zelensky displayed his political inexperience, bravado and threw his European allies under the bus for their perceived lack of support over Russia. "It is clear that Zelensky tried to establish personal relations with Trump as it is so important for Ukraine (because of its need for) military support, and sanctions against Russia. Therefore, he followed Trump's style and rhetoric," Olexiy Haran, a professor of Comparative Politics in Kiev and research director at the Democratic Initiatives Foundation, told CNBC Monday. Haran said that some of Zelensky's comments were "too much" including his statement that the next Ukrainian prosecutor general would be "100%" his choice, when the he or she should be independent from the president (although the post is appointed by the president with the consent of parliament). "I think some (of Zelensky's) phrases could be formulated in a more diplomatic fashion. But it was a confidential talk. (It's a) very bad precedent that confidential talks between two presidents are made public (by the way without consent of Ukrainian side). No foreign leader now can feel secure talking confidentially to U.S. president," Haran said.

Smelling of roses