Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator, no longer believes that Zelensky will be the one to carry the Ukrainian torch: “What happened will cost him the presidency,” he says. Zelensky responds to Fox News: “The Ukrainians will decide.” The senator says he met with the Ukrainian leader last night. “I told him not to take the bait.”
“He’s dressed smartly,” Trump says as Zelensky gets out of the car that stops in front of the West Wing entrance. Donald shakes hands, no joke for reporters who have gathered for more than an hour for a photo. The atmosphere is tense from the start, Zelensky arrives a little late, Trump makes fun of his outfit, as soon as he sees the buttoned collar of his military green shirt with the Ukrainian emblem, the same one he showed in December 2022. Biden was at his side. Reporters move around in search of every detail, word, expression.
Then, the team of journalists with access to the Oval Office begins to relay to colleagues beyond the wall and the Rose Garden the contents of the conversation between the two. Zelensky is sitting in the yellow armchair, but he does not look at all comfortable, trying to mask his discomfort by crossing his arms, then leaning back, then moving his head, his eyes.
Bloggers, influencers, reporters will be seen who are more “Trumpist” than the original, which doesn’t happen often in the Oval Office. A journalist, very close to Trump, asks him: “Why aren’t you wearing a suit? This is the Oval Office.” Zelensky replies that he will do so when the war is over and will probably buy a nicer suit than the journalist’s. This is the atmosphere, the tension is building. Zelensky’s attitude is not liked by American officials either. One of them confesses that crossed arms are not allowed in front of the president. Zelensky’s agenda is packed, a meeting with senators at the hotel, then the White House. He was supposed to give a speech at the Hudson Institute, but it was canceled after the meeting with Trump, which ended up in the pages of history. The joint press conference was also canceled. The clash with Trump further inflamed his deputy, JD Vance. The tension is epochal.
The exchange lasts 50 minutes, in the 40th the situation deteriorates. Zelensky insists on security guarantees and recalls the annexation of Crimea in 2014, mentioning presidents Obama, Trump and Biden, and emphasizing that diplomacy needs something to serve as a tool of intimidation. He turns to Vance: “JD, what is diplomacy?”
The vice president, sensing an opportunity to strike, calls Zelensky’s behavior in the Oval Office and before the American media “unfounded,” reminding him that he does not have enough forces to win the war, accusing him of having gone to conduct electoral propaganda for the Democrats, visiting a munitions factory in Scranton – Biden’s hometown. Zelensky chews, then tries to answer back: “Have you ever been to Ukraine, JD?” – he asks. The vice president from Ohio replies: “We are preventing the destruction of your country”. And Zelensky: “You are separated by an ocean from us, but you will feel the problems in the future…”. Donald intervenes: “Don’t tell us what we will feel, you are not in a position to do that”.
The president raises his voice and, with a single blow, buries the dialogue and with it, the agreement on strategic minerals. “You are gambling with World War III. You have no cards in your hand, because if you had, you would not be so rude to America. Your country is in trouble, if it were not for American weapons”, and then the list of $ 350 billion spent (without mentioning the 183 billion through the G7) and the comparison with Obama: “Do you know how many Javelins we gave you?”
Zelensky’s defense, “We’ve been with you in principle from the beginning, thank you for your support,” is lost in the disbelief of reporters and Trump, who ends everything with a joke: “If you’re going to sign the deal, do it yourself.” The rare earth minerals deal is not signed, the lunch (uneaten) ends up on the tables of the White House. After the clash, the Ukrainians are gathered in a hall. On the other hand, Donald speaks with Bessent (Treasury Secretary), Vance, Waltz and Rubio. He is irritated, this is felt by Zelensky’s attitude and rhetoric. An official told Reuters that there is now a possibility of reviewing the supply of aid – including military aid – to Kiev.
Ukrainians are trying to restore relations. Images of the Ukrainian ambassador are circulating online. The delegation is practically begging the Americans to continue. It is up to the administration to tell Zelensky to leave. Rubio, the secretary of state, and Mike Waltz, the national security adviser, escort the delegation to the door. The visit lasts 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Trump publishes a statement: “I understand that Zelensky is not yet ready for peace.” And he closes with an invitation: “Let him come back when he is ready.”
In the late afternoon, Trump departs for Mar-a-Lago, and before boarding Air Marine One, he pauses to speak to reporters: “Zelensky has overestimated himself.” Then he adds: “He claims he wants the war to stop immediately, but it seems to me he wants to keep fighting, fighting, fighting. We, in the meantime, don’t want to put any more people in the grave.” After an unpleasant expulsion from the Oval Office, Zelensky cancels almost all meetings. No speech at the Hudson Institute. Instead, he posts a message on social media: “Thank you, America, thank you for your support. Thank you, Potus, to Congress and to the American people. Ukraine needs a just and lasting peace and we will work for it.” But at 6 o’clock, while Trump is on a flight to Florida, he sits down with Bret Baier for an interview on Fox News. He presents his version and refuses to “apologize” for what happened in the Oval Office: “Open discussions are needed,” he explains, but emphasizes that a long confrontation is not beneficial to anyone. What Zelensky still demands are security guarantees from America not only to achieve “a cessation of hostilities, but a just peace.” He asks the US to continue supporting Kiev, because “we don’t have enough weapons to expel the Russians.”
Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator, no longer believes that Zelensky will be the one to carry the Ukrainian torch: “What happened will cost him the presidency,” he says. Zelensky responds to Fox News: “The Ukrainians will decide.” The senator says he met with the Ukrainian leader last night. “I told him not to take the bait.” (La Stampa)
