Small thanks and a little grace can repair that disastrous Ukraine meeting
High-stakes diplomatic negotiations almost never play out in view of the public.During Friday’s charged White House meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Trump, that is precisely what happened.Nothing about the meeting went according to plan.What should have been a friendly press gaggle in the Oval Office between Zelensky and Trump devolved into an emotionally charged dispute over security guarantees for Ukraine and America’s support for the embattled country.The Trump team thought they had a deal for US investment in Ukraine’s rare-earth minerals ready to sign.
All that was required was a friendly lunch, a signing ceremony and a joint press conference to affirm the agreement.Trump was optimistic the day before when he sat down with Britain’s Keir Starmer, who appeared to welcome the arrangement.Trump was likewise positive on a deal earlier in the week when he met with France’s Emmanuel Macron.Both leaders demonstrated this week that they have learned how to communicate with Trump — unlike Zelensky, who spoke more to his audience at home than to the American public, for whom Trump promised to bring an end to the war.Zelensky opted to negotiate through the media, in real time, with Trump, JD Vance, and Marco Rubio sitting right beside him.
His arms folded across his chest, Zelensky repeated his need for hard security guarantees — NATO-grade promises — before he would agree to a ceasefire.Hard bargaining like this happens all the time in high-stakes negotiations.Typically, it occurs behind closed doors, not live on camera in the Oval Office.Trump visibly bristled.As a negotiator, he thrives on being the one who closes the deal, not the one who haggles in front of cameras.He believes the Kremlin would not dare cross him and break a ceasefire.
“They broke it with Biden.They broke it with Obama,” he snapped at Zelensky.
“They respect me.”Vance was quick to point out an uncomfortable fact, highlighting Ukraine’s...