In the three years of the great war with Russia, the Ukrainian president had not only perfectly interpreted the role of resistance leader, but had also perfected his political skills, in an extraordinary global game. He had understood that the only way to attract the attention of the owner of the White House was “business”, offering him a “deal” of millions of dollars, (which Donald Trump immediately multiplied into billions)
Volodymyr Zelensky most likely did not go to the White House seeking to go down in history as a hero once again. He did not need to. Nor did he want to become, in the eyes of Ukrainians and the world, for the umpteenth time a suicide bomber who asks for “ammunition instead of a border crossing” in the face of certain death. On the contrary, he had played a long and well-thought-out game, had prepared himself, had accepted a series of humiliations – such as the accusation that he was “a dictator” by the Republican president – and had resisted the temptation to throw in the face of the envoy from Washington the first draft of the agreement on the exploitation of Ukraine’s mineral resources, which practically envisaged giving the Americans all of his country’s future wealth for years to come.
In the three years of the great war with Russia, the Ukrainian president had not only perfectly interpreted the role of resistance leader, but had also perfected his political skills, in an extraordinary global game. He had understood that the only way to attract the attention of the owner of the White House was “business”, offering him a “deal” of millions of dollars (which Donald Trump immediately multiplied into billions).
He had requested this meeting himself, despite the clear hostility of his interlocutor, in order to meet Trump, to present his arguments, to try to interest him, to convince him, to arouse in him at least a moment of empathy – and not only for the mineral wealth of Ukraine. Zelensky was the one who, with great realism, had understood that he could not afford the luxury of losing the support of an ally like the United States, because of pride. At least not without trying in every way to bring Ukraine to the negotiating table and not to accept to swallow the plate that was served to him. Instead, Zelensky entered history again, again as the leader of a country that says “no” to a world power. The harshly worded expulsion from the White House is an episode that not even the craziest screenwriter could have written.
As for Trump and JD Vance’s aggressiveness, whether it was a spontaneous reaction to Zelensky’s remarks, a result of their limited diplomatic experience as media figures, or whether it was a premeditated spectacle, will remain unclear.
The president, and above all the president of the United States, insulted an ally in front of the cameras, shutting him up, calling him “baseless,” reminding him that he “has no cards to play,” and promising that opposition would bring him “serious problems”: a conversation that sounded more like a scene from a movie than from the highest global politics.
It is true that Trump has had a score to settle with Zelensky since the Ukrainegate, from that phone call – equally threatening – which cost the American president an impeachment attempt, back in 2019. Perhaps, no gesture of submission and flattery from the Ukrainian leader would have been enough: judging by the way the Russian propaganda masters have appropriated this very language in their criticism of Zelensky’s appearance (derision worthy of Putinists), it can be said that not even the charisma of the hero-president could have worked a miracle. Paradoxically, it is precisely this language and this level of hostility that now make Trump very unsuitable for negotiating with Vladimir Putin: he has not shown himself to be “neutral”, as he claims, and if the aggression towards Zelensky was intended to force him to follow softer advice, it will surely have the opposite effect in Ukraine.
Unless, in fact, there is no “deal” with the Kremlin on the horizon: negotiations in Istanbul on Thursday between the Russians and the Americans appear to have concluded with an agreement to resume the work of the respective embassies, but without any discussion of Ukraine.
Putin does not seem at all determined to stop the war, and his Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, only two days ago stressed that all Russian claims against Kiev, including the surrender of Ukrainian territories already controlled by Russian forces, remain in force.
It is possible, therefore, that the White House, realizing that peace is not on the horizon not only within 24 hours, but also in the coming months, has decided to place the blame on Zelensky: after all, an effective way to offer his head on a platter to Putin, without admitting that the bet placed on the Kremlin leader could be considered a mistake by Trump, in his unwavering belief that he is an excellent negotiator. The question remains what Zelensky will do now, after having so vehemently refuted those who accused him of being a “puppet” of the Americans. After refusing to return submissively to the White House, in his first statements he left the door open for a review, thanking “America, its people and its president.”
Undoubtedly, the diplomatic web has begun to be woven again with European leaders, each of whom at this moment finds it difficult to imagine himself ending up humiliated in the same way, in the same Oval Office chair (and there will certainly be others willing to negotiate for Ukraine’s mineral-rich lands). The potential for Europeans to persuade Trump, however, is very limited, as has been seen in recent hours, and it is possible that Washington will demand that Ukrainians pay for Zelensky’s rebellion.
