Can J.D. Vance be part of the peace talks?

Practically every aspect of that Oval Office meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky was surreal. The blow up at the end was certainly the most shocking, but watching the American President repeatedly bite his tongue – until he didn’t – was also very strange. 

Holding back opinion is not normal behaviour for the American President. Yet we watched Trump speak very cautiously throughout the meeting, refusing to take sides, but more importantly, resisting the urge to push back when Zelensky insisted there would be no compromise to end the war or highlighted that the rare earth deal did not go far enough to ensure Ukraine’s safety. 

Trump’s deliberate attempt to toe the coolest, (for better or for worse) neutral policy line was most clear when he hinted that he might like to express a more colourful opinion. But that would not allow the United States to play intermediate. ‘I’m in the middle, I want to solve this thing,’ he told the press.