no Their position in the Russian-Ukraine war is important, and those who watched the televised encounter between Donald Trump and Voldy Zelensky in their oval offices will likely be shocked. It didn't transform into a perfect screaming match, but it got closer.
The meeting may have lie down anyway, but the presence of JD Vance has made it ugly and quickly. The Vice President spoke about Zelensky, criticising him for the assistance he had provided by the United States (“Have you ever thanked you?”), disrespected his host Trump, and scolded him for publicly suing his country's lawsuit. It raised the temperature – much more.
To be fair, the Ukrainian president should not have jumped out of Trap Vance Set. He may have said he may have actually expressed his gratitude in the past and said he wanted to do so again, and was pleased to be in the US to discuss directly with Trump, whom he considers a strong leader.
Yes, you might say: it would have been clever and rude. It's true, but there are two rules for anyone who meets Trump, especially if he has the press on hand. Use flattery and avoid discussion.
The formula works.
Consider Kielstarmer's meeting with Trump on Thursday in a similar public setting. The British Prime Minister played Trump like a violin. He nodded seriously, smiling and delivered the Coup de Grace, whipping out of King Charles' letters, making Trump visit Britain, and highlighting how important it was. A momentary surprise, Trump glowed with pride and attacked Britain and its monarchs.
Was the summer authentic? yes. Did you feel a bit off looking at him? yes. Did his approach work? absolutely. That was a wonderful lesson in dealing with Trump.
It's too late for Zelenskyy to try his priorities. He and Trump did not hold a press conference. After the oval office fiasco, state dinner was nearly impossible. The mineral trade in the US ukrane could be dead, and Zelensky has left.
Where does Ukraine go from here?
A video of what happened between Trump and Zelensky makes the news cycle a course on a course for several days, creating dinner discussions, or altercations, but it doesn't draw attention for a long time.
But for Zelenskyy, he will never come back from this big failure. Trump holds grum, never forgets the slightest thing and never forgives.
Put the mineral trade aside. Trump denounced the NATO door, which closed Ukraine's face. Kyiv had abandoned all hopes for postwar security through the Atlantic Alliance location, especially given that other members, such as Hungary and Slovakia, were already determined to lock it out.
There's even worse news in Ukraine. They may have hoped that a mineral agreement with the Trump administration could pave the way for Ukraine to sell American arms that it paid with mineral revenue. That's almost impossible now.
So what should Ukraine do, which has been locked out of NATO and is unable to ensure postwar security, or even our weapons? We need to look to Europe.
Zelensky's idea of 200,000 “European Army” peacekeeping forces doesn't work. Europe cannot send troops ready for battle near their size. It's not just an inadequate military issue. Europe was comfortable relying on America's protections for generations and beyond, so Europe had the luxury of neglecting defenses. As a result, there is a lack of firepower (aircraft, armorers, tanks, artillery) and logistics capabilities to feed the troops that can protect Ukraine if Russia attacks again.
But Europe can help Ukraine build a well-trained army with top flight weapons. This is when Russia finds an enemy even tougher than it is now.
Certainly, the Russian army faces little defeat in Ukraine. And the economic problems are so serious that we cannot fight for longer. However, Vladimir Putin's performance in Ukraine was far from the star. Russia is just entering its fourth year of war with a much weaker country. This is what almost every military expert thinks will be overflowing for weeks, or even days.
Europe has resources for world-class defense industry and military training, which will help build Ukraine's future troops, and Russia must consider a much stronger enemy than it has fought since 2022. The purpose of that army is not to beat Russia, but rather to pay blood and treasure.
Trump can abandon Ukraine without putting America's security at risk. Europe cannot, and thus benefits Ukraine's safety. Both Ukraine and Europe have Trump problems. They should turn it into an opportunity for defence cooperation.
