Last Friday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the White House for what was expected to be a landmark bilateral meeting with Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, the first meeting between the Ukrainian and American Presidents. Televised live from the Oval Office, the meeting was slated to finalize a strategic mineral-resources agreement, granting Ukraine access to critical rare-earth elements in exchange for security guarantees and continued US military and intelligence support.
This meeting was meant to set the benchmark for the future of US-Ukrainian cooperation in the face of continuing Russian aggression. Tensions between the two men were already well-publicised, with Trump making a number of ludicrous and patently false statements, as usual, and Zelensky responding like any normal leader would and defending himself and his nation against the lies, naturally stoking Trump’s ire. The meeting was expected to run into a hiccup or two, but not the stomach-twisting retch that we were subjected to.
It was all smiles and handshakes when Zelenskyy was exiting his limousine, and even when he, Trump, and Trump’s attack pug Vance sat down, the first few minutes weren’t too bad. But the discussion quickly deteriorated. Getting down to business, Zelenskyy outlined Ukraine’s expectations: binding security assurances and durable US backing in the face of an ongoing Russian invasion, as has been his requirements since the outset. His tone has not changed once since the Russian tanks first crossed the border. The mood tipped when Trump pressed Zelenskyy to prioritize a ceasefire, warning, “You either make a deal or we are out”. He accused the Ukrainian president of failing to adequately thank the US, despite the thank you he gave Trump at the door, the one he gave when arriving in the US< the one he gave before he left Ukraine, and the thousands of other documented times Zelenskyy has expressed his gratitude to the American people for their support of his struggle against Putin’s evil.
Tensions escalated further still. Trump and Vance began interrupting Zelenskyy, with Vance accusing him of being “disrespectful” and engaging in a “propaganda tour”. In a dramatic climax, Trump publicly labelled Zelenskyy a “dictator”, accused him of “gambling with World War III,” and abruptly cancelled the signing ceremony and a planned press conference. It must be noted that Trump later walked back his dictator comment, but the deed had already been done.
The most sickening performance of the afternoon was that of JD Vance. His tirade against one of Europe’s most resilient wartime leaders, who has achieved more in his relatively short political career than Vance could ever hope to, was pathetic and cringe-inducing. Stooping as low as berating Zelenskyy for not wearing a suit would be laughable if his performance hadn’t shaken Western confidence in a Ukrainian victory on Ukrainian terms. Perhaps JD didn’t think to look at the bust of Winston Churchill in the office behind him, who spent much of his wartime in a siren suit, including many wartime visits to the US.
Zelenskyy was swiftly ushered from the Oval Office. European leaders responded with swift criticism, reaffirming their unwavering support for Kyiv and condemning Trump’s confrontational style. Russia, on the other hand, welcomed the meeting, praising Trump and Vance for how they comported themselves.
Three days following the meeting, the U.S. suspended military and intelligence aid to Ukraine, attempting to pressure Zelenskyy into agreeing to a ceasefire on Trump’s terms. The US has gone from unequivocal support for the Ukrainian cause under Biden to a Russian mouthpiece and enabler in the space of a few short months. The US’s support for Ukraine has been thrown into question, and with it, Ukraine’s chances of victory. A deal that once seemed within reach seemed to unravel in the space of a few hours.
The only positive to come from this meeting was the reaffirmation of European support for Ukraine, but even if the EU have given Ukraine more than the US since the start of the war, Zelenskyy cannot pretend that Trump’s withdrawal of support will not wound Ukrainian war efforts. If Zelenskyy did not bow to military pressure from Russia, I doubt he will bow to economic pressure from the US, especially with the remainder of the free world still at his back. Even so, I don’t foresee the US maintaining its current hawkish stance on Ukraine. The public mood is not with Trump; the American people still support Ukraine against Russia by a good margin.
This fiasco has made Trump look petulant and brattish, and those who have stuffed themselves us his arse as the clowns they are, Vance chief among them. And if Trump backtracks and reinstates US support, as I suspect he will, his weakness in his convictions will have been displayed once more.
stay safe
/e